Underlying Facts
by bubbles799
Summary: Nikki is rocked by tragedy and discovers more heartbreak along the way. Definite romance between her and ET as well.
1. Chapter 1

_Here's my new fiction. I'm hoping this will be a longer than any other I've written and I'm breaking all my rules; I usually write the whole story before publishing but I haven't actually finished this. I'm a couple of chapters a head of what I'm publishing so I'll continue writing and publishing quickly (fingers crossed). I would especially love this story to be reviewed; I want the advice. Anyway, here goes..._

_**Disclaimer: **__I own none of the Sea Patrol Characters that appear on TV; any that you don't recognise belong to me!_

_1130 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

"So what exactly did they say?" questioned Kate as she and Mike entered the bridge. Mike passed Nav a piece of paper and she began plotting a course.

"Starboard 10, steer 310," she told Swain, who was at the helm. He altered course.

"Apparently they have two in need of urgent medical attention. They are having difficulty breathing and ones unconscious," Mike replied. "What's our ETA Nav?" The navigator looked at the screens in front of her and replied.

"Approximately an hour and a half." Mike nodded.

An hour and 15 minutes later, the RHIB's had been boarded and were being lowered into the water. Nikki stood on the top deck, looking through her binoculars. As one of the RHIB's shot out across the water in front of her eyes, she saw the familiar body of a certain person. The man who had stolen her heart. Nikki was daydreaming by the time Mike came out and joined her on the deck. Watching as the RHIB's approached the yacht, Nikki turned to her boss.

"Pretty nice yacht, sir," she said. Mike smiled and nodded.

"Sure is Nav."

"Do we know what these people are doing out here?" she asked.

"Apparently it's a group of women enjoying a day out, according to NAVcom anyway," he replied.

"40 miles out to sea? Right," said Nikki, turning back to the yacht where the Hammersley crew had now boarded.

On the yacht, the boarding party began searching the ship when no one replied to their greeting. The teams searched for a minute before X called out.

"They're down here!" Swain immediately rushed down, finding 4 people unconscious in the room. Kate was bent down checking the pulse of one woman while Swain hurried over and checked another.

"They're all still alive," he called out a minute later. He began checking each for any signs of what might of happened. Kate was doing the same. By this time, ET and Buffer had arrived, also Bomber who headed over to help Swain. Kate and Bomber attended to one woman just as ET walked over.

"Oh my god," he said, looking at the woman. Kate looked up at him, so did Swain. Kate looked down when the radio made noises.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, come in over," said the CO.

"This is X. Go ahead," she replied.

"What's the situation there, over."

"Sir, we have 4 females, all aged 50-55, they are unconscious but we can't find any indication as to why yet, over." Mike suddenly had a flashback to a boarding well over a year ago when they boarded the _Inako. _

"Have you checked to make sure the vessel is clear of gas or toxins, X?" he asked, worry evident in his voice. Nav looked over at the captain, realising he was thinking about Rick Gallagher and the toxin from a while ago.

"Yes sir," X reassured. "ET checked when before we came aboard." Nikki watched Mike sigh with relief.

"Alright X. I'm sending Nav and Charge over to assess the boat for towing and to navigate to home port," he said into the radio, still smiling. ET had just taken a closer look at one of the women when he heard this last message.

"X, no. Nav can't come on board," he said insistently. Everyone looked up at him confused.

"ET?" asked Kate, hoping for more elaboration.

"I know her," he pointed at the woman in question. "It's Lucia Caetano." The crew looked between him and the woman, who was still unconscious.

"Nikki's mother?" asked Kate. ET nodded.

"Are you 100% sure on this?" asked Buffer, looking down at the woman next to ET. ET looked him in the eyes.

"Of course I'm sure!" he replied. "I live in the same house as Nikki for one thing." Nobody mentioned the fact that she was going to become his mother in law soon as they knew ET and Nikki were keeping it quiet. Kate and Buffer nodded. ET turned and ran a hand through his hair.

"She's gaining consciousness," Bomber reported. Swain looked up and went over to Lucia. Lucia looked up at all the people surrounding her and looked startled.

"What's happening? Where am..." she said in a distressed voice, gasping for air.

"Ma'am, my name is Chris Blake; I'm the medical officer from the HMAS Hammersley." Lucia didn't seem to register this until she heard the word 'Hammersley.'

"Hammersley... what?" she attempted to say.

"ET," said Swain, calling ET over. "Talk to her, a familiar face will probably help." ET bent slowly next to Nikki's mother.

"Lucia, Lucia. It's Josh. Just, just try and stay calm," he attempted, holding her hand. Recognising the voice, Lucia looked up at him.

"I know you," she said. ET smiled.

"Yeah I know. You're going to be okay," he tried reassuring.

"Nikki..." spluttered Lucia, gasping for air.

"She's okay, she's back on the Hammersley," answered Kate in a soothing voice. Lucia started gasping for more air and ET looked back at Swain, whose face was grim. Lucia seemed to realise that something was dreadfully wrong and was obviously thinking the worse, judging by her next comment.

"Joshua, you are a good man. I want you to marry her and make her happy. Look after my little girl for me," she wheezed. ET gripped her hand.

"You're going to be okay," he said, willing that Lucia would be okay. He knew how close Nikki and her mother were and knew what it would do to her if she lost her mother.

"Please just, tell her that I'm proud of her and just want her to be happy. And that I love her," she whispered. ET shook his head.

"You can tell her that yourself, when we get you back to the Hammersley," he said insistently but Lucia's eyes were rolling in her head and she was beginning to lose consciousness. Swain was looking at the woman next to Lucia when ET called out. "Swain! Swain!" Swain hurried over.

"I haven't got a pulse," said Bomber. Kate looked at ET.

"Commence CPR! Bomber, take airways, I'll do compressions," said Swain and Bomber pulled a mask out of the medical bag and placed it over Lucia's mouth. ET stood up and looked down, trying to give Swain more room.

"Come on Lucia," Buffer heard ET whisper. Swain and Bomber continued CPR as Mike radioed again.

"Charge and Nav are coming over now." Kate looked up at ET before radioing back.

"Sir, before they do, I need to speak to you privately," she demanded. Back on the Hammersley, Mike was on the deck while the RHIB containing Nikki and Charge, plus the driver, was waiting on the water for Mike to give the signal to go.

"Go ahead X," said Mike, worried by the tone of his XO's voice.

"Sir, one of the women has been ID'd." She replied. She went to continue but Mike spoke.

"And?"

"Sir, ET's recognised her. It's Lucia Caetano," said hurriedly, looking back as Swain and Bomber continued with CPR. Mike looked down at the RHIB and could see Charge and Nikki waiting, probably wondering why they were waiting so long. Mike took action.

"Bring the RHIB back up!" he called out. Below on the RHIB, Nikki and Charge both stood and held their arms out.

"Charlie82, this is November 82, what's going on?" asked Nikki.

"Nav, I need you back on board. I'll send Charge over." Nikki was confused and looked over to Charge, who looked equally confused. She turned to the driver and held up her arms, indicating she had no idea what was going on. In a minute, Nikki had climbed off the RHIB and it was being lowered again, this time with only Charge and the driver.

"Sir?" asked Nav, walking towards her captain on the deck, wearing her boarding gear.

"I need you on board Nav," he said, trying not to look his navigator in the eye.

"Sir?" she asked again, not understanding why she was called back.

"Nav, I just you to stay on board," said Mike more firmly. Although she still had no idea what was happening, Nav turned and went to head to the bridge. Mike sighed.

Back on the yacht, Swain and Bomber were still trying CPR.


	2. Chapter 2

Back on the yacht, Swain and Bomber were still trying CPR.

"21...22...23...24...25...26..." Swain counted as he continued with compressions. "27...28...29...30." He stopped suddenly, causing ET to look up at him. Swain noticed. "There's nothing more I can do for her." ET understood and nodded slowly, thinking of his fiancé and how she was going to react. The sound of the RHIB approaching brought everyone from their silence. Kate looked at Buffer and he ducked up the stairs. He sighed with relief when he only saw Charge on board. Charge climbed aboard and joined Buffer.

"What's going on? Why did the boss call Nav back?" he asked. Buffer sighed then looked back at the stairs.

On the Hammersley, Nav was sitting on the chair next to the navigation console of the bridge when Mike came inside. She was still wearing her boarding gear. Nikki watched him enter the bridge and waited for him to tell her the reason for his decision but he didn't give one. Sighing, Nikki went back to looking at the radar screen.

The crew on the yacht were preparing to move the woman off the yacht. While two of the women were unconscious, the other was awake but not responsive. Kate stood up next to ET.

"Are you okay?" she asked. ET nodded, his eyes still fixed on the still form of Lucia Caetano. "Nikki's going to have to be told," she said to the group.

"I'll do it," said ET, swallowing.

"ET, maybe..."

"No, I want to do it," he said firmly. Kate looked at the determined look on his face and gave in.

"Alright, Buffer, Charge and Spider, go back with him. We'll take them back," she decided. They nodded and ET looked back at Lucia once more before leaving. As he boarded the RHIB, he thought about what he was going to tell Nikki. How do you tell your fiancé that you had just watched their mother die? He turned back and looked at the yacht, where they were carrying the women off the boat. By the time the first RHIB was being pulled back onto the Hammersley, the other RHIB was about to head back too. Walking to the Hammersley upper deck, ET saw the CO.

"ET. You're definite?" said Mike, speaking in small sentences but ET still understood. He nodded his head.

"Has anyone told her?" asked ET. Mike shook his head.

"X radioed and told me you want to do it," he replied.

"Yes, sir."

"The other RHIB's just arrived so we should keep her away from here until she knows," added Mike. ET nodded. ET was about to go inside and make sure he kept Nikki away from the deck when she came outside and appeared behind ET. Mike spotted her first, alerting ET to turn around.

"Ah, Nav I need you to watch the bridge for me," said Mike.

"RO's in there at the moment, I thought I'd be more useful out here sir, helping with the injured," she replied, oblivious to the devastation she was about to discover. She peered over the railing where the crew were bringing the women on board. Including Lucia. ET attempted to move her from the railing and Mike watched as he tried. But Nikki had already seen it.

"Oh my god!" she cried out, already heading for the exit to the lower decks. ET tried to stop her but it was too late; she had already gotten past and was making her way to the deck. ET and Mike hurried behind her, hoping that somehow they could stop her before she got there. The body of Lucia Caetano had just been placed on the deck when Nikki burst down the side, ET and Mike hot on her heels.

"Nikki..." Kate tried, spotting her friend.

"Mum? No. No!" cried Nikki, beginning to break down. She put her hand to her mouth in shock. Her hands were trembling and she choked on her tears, eventually losing complete control of herself and collapsing. Noticing her become unsteady and start to fall, ET reached out and caught her. Mike had also noticed and attempted to steady her by holding onto her arm. They gently lowered her to the ground where she sat in a shaking mess, sobbing uncontrollably. ET held her tight as she cried, not caring what the crew thought.

"Can we move them please?" Mike called out over his shoulder as he bent down next to his navigator. "Nav? Nav listen. I want you to go and sit down for a while okay. ET, you and X help her to the Senior Sailors Mess. Kate!" he called out. While Kate made her way over, Mike and ET helped her stand. She was limp and couldn't hold herself up, still sobbing.

"Come on Nikki, we'll take you down stairs. ET?" said Kate, holding up her friend and gently leading her away from the scene. The usually composed Lieutenant could barely make it anywhere; she was all over the place. After Nikki was out of sight, Mike turned to Swain.

"What happened Swain?"

"I... I don't know sir. The all appear to be suffering from the same thing but the problem is I don't know what it was."

"What condition are the others in?" asked Mike. Although he didn't ask the question directly, Swain knew his captain was really asking whether the remaining ladies' going to end up like the navigators' mother.

"The others seem to be doing okay. One of them is conscious but none of them seem to be suffering as like..." Swain was going to continue but couldn't think of the words. Mike just nodded; he understood what the coxswain was trying to say

"I know you're pushed Swain but when you get a chance, I'd like you to check on Nav. I think she's okay, if you know what I mean, but I just want to be sure," said the CO.

"Yes sir," replied Swain.

Down in the senior sailors mess, Kate and ET were sitting with Nikki. She had stopped sobbing and was staring blankly at nothing. They had tried talking to her but she was non-responsive. There had been silence for a while when suddenly it was broken; Nikki had burst into tears again. ET looked over at Kate.

"Nik?" asked Kate quietly, rubbing her back. Nikki at first didn't seem like she was going to say anything. ET and Kate weren't shocked at this; she hadn't spoken a word in nearly an hour. But she did.

"Mum... I, I promised her that...that..." she tried saying, in between the tears.

"It's okay," soothed ET, looking at her with a worried face.

"It's not!" she cried talking more strongly and with more force. "All Mum wanted was to see at least one of her children married. And then she wanted grandchildren. And I promised her that I would one day, and that she'd be there." Nikki took a deep breath as Kate felt her own tears coming on, no doubt caused by the fact that her best friend was crying. "I lied," Nikki squeaked as more tears started.

"You didn't," insisted ET. "That's not a lie." But that didn't stop Nikki from crying.

That's the end of the second chapter. I'm a little sad that I didn't get any reviews for the first chapter. It would be great if I got some this time because I want any advice/feedback. I would really appreciate it if you took the time to reviews this; it would mean the world to me.

bubbles x x


	3. Chapter 3

_Here's the next instalment to this story. I got one review last time; I want to try improve on that! Thanks so much to the one person that reviewed, _**xXKaitlinXx. **_It really meant a lot. _

1300 hours, HMAS Hammersley, Senior Sailor's Mess

Swain poked his head around the door and saw Nikki asleep on the bench seat while Kate was watching. She looked up when she heard Swain at the door.

"How's she doing?" he asked quietly, stepping inside." Kate shrugged.

"She's spoken once but other than that, she isn't talking. She cried for a little while and then she just stopped and looked blank. Eventually she just fell asleep." Swain nodded.

"Horrible way to find out your mothers' dead," he added. Kate nodded her head. "Is there anything that I should know?"

"She collapsed when she saw her mother," said Kate thoughtfully. "That's all."

"Yeah, I saw her collapse. ET and the CO caught her before she could do any damage. I'd say that it was just caused by stress; the shock of it all," Swain concluded. Kate nodded.

"Do you know what happened yet?" she asked the medic.

"No. Fleet medical says that it could be a sting of some sort but I haven't found any marks. Or it could be a poisoning. And I can't ask the other ladies' in their condition."

"I don't understand why Lucia's dead and the others aren't," said Kate quietly, not wanting to disturb Nikki at the sound of her mothers' name.

"Like anything X. Some people die in accidents; others survive. The feds will investigate it when we get back to port and I presume there will be an autopsy," said Swain.

"XO, bridge," came over the internal radio. Both Swain and Kate looked to the roof as they listened. Kate turned to Nikki. Sensing that she didn't want to leave Nikki alone, Swain spoke up.

"I'll stay with her." X, relieved, nodded before heading to the bridge.

1725 hours, HMAS Hammersley

The Hammersley was half an hour from port and the crew were preparing to close up ship. ET was sitting with Nikki, who was curled up in a ball on the bench chair. He had tried to get her to talk but she refused. Since she was brought down to the Senior Sailor's mess hours earlier, Nikki had spoken only a few words; that she had lied to her mum. ET knew that this wasn't true and had tried to convince her otherwise but she was being her stubborn self. As he watched Nikki, ET could hear Lucia's words echoing in his head.

"Please just, tell her that I'm proud of her and just want her to be happy. And that I love her."

"I want you to marry her and make her happy. Look after my little girl for me."

ET had not told his fiancé this part yet; he wasn't sure if she could deal with it at the moment. He was interrupted from his thoughts as the CO knocked quietly on the door.

"ET." He nodded his head so ET knew to step outside. "I presume you are taking her home?" ET nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Alright, we're going to get the women from the yacht off first so they can get to hospital," ET was informed by Mike. "Then I think you should take Nikki home; the feds will be there and they'll be checking out the yacht and that sort of thing. I don't think she needs to be here for that."

"Roger sir," replied ET. "Has her family been told yet?" Mike nodded.

"RO spoke to Nikki's brother, Matt and he said he'd inform the family. They're coming up from Sydney tomorrow," answered Mike. "There is one more thing..." his voice trailing off. ET looked up questioningly. Mike continued. "She needs to be formally ID'd." ET turned his head to the side.

"Nikki's not going to be up to that. No way," replied ET.

"I'll do it," interrupted a quiet voice from the door. They both turned to see Nikki standing there.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" asked Mike. ET looked concerned. She nodded. "I better be getting back to the bridge. We'll dock in 15 minutes," said Mike before heading down the hall. ET turned back and Nikki was gone. He stepped back into the room and saw that she was sitting up on the bench again. He could see her face and although she wasn't crying, her eyes were red and puffy. He didn't think she was going to talk so he leant against the door frame, thinking to himself.

"ET?" she whispered, causing ET to jump even though she had only whispered. He came over and bent down in front of her.

"Hey," was all he said. Nikki swallowed hard before speaking again.

"Were you with her? When she..." Nikki couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence; it was too painful. ET swallowed before nodding slowly.

"Yes." The tears began forming in her eyes and she took a breath in.

"Did it take long?" she whispered. "And was she in pain?" ET didn't know how to answer this. He had no idea how her mother would have been feeling.

"She wasn't awake long. And it just seemed like she went to sleep," he replied, hoping that it was the right thing to say.

"Was she in pain though?" she asked again. ET looked away and didn't answer the question. "ET?" she pushed after there was no reply. "She was suffering wasn't she?" concluded Nikki, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks again. Swain was passing the door and looked in. Noticing the situation, he stepped in.

"Nav?" he asked. Nikki turned and looked up at him.

"Did she suffer?" she asked him, taking Swain by surprise. He was still trying to work out what he was going to say to the family when they arrived in port but it had already been sprung on him. He leant on the table.

"Nikki, she just stopped breathing, like she was asleep," he started but she interrupted.

"But did she suffer?" she said a little more firmly. Swain looked at ET.

"She was having a few difficulties breathing. That's all we knew. But she wasn't conscious very long so it was very quick when it worsened," said Swain carefully. Fighting back the tears, Nikki looked between Swain and ET.

"You said she was conscious. Did she say anything?" she asked, half hoping her mother had a final message, the other half not wanting to hear it anyway. Again Swain looked to ET, who nodded. Before he answered, ET could again hear Lucia's words.

"She said that she was proud of you and that she just wanted you to be happy," said ET. "And that she loved you." She started sobbing again and ET sat on the bench and held her, allowing her to cry as much as she wanted. ET looked at Swain, who nodded and exited the room. ET had decided not to say the other part of Lucia's words just yet; he knew that now was not the time. As he held her tight in his arms, Nikki felt, somehow through all the tears, comforted. She knew that she would not be able to accept her mother's death anytime soon but this small amount of comfort helped her.

1800 hours, HMAS Hammersley home port

The women from the yacht had already been taken off the Hammersley and were being loaded into ambulances waiting on the dock. Mike and Kate watched as Nikki was slowly being lead off the Hammersley by ET, Bomber and Spider who were taking her home. On the dock, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber had just reached the dock and were heading to the long term car park when Nikki stopped. The other three turned. Nikki was staring at the federal agents who were waiting on the dock.

"Come on," said ET, gently pulling her arm. But she planted her feet.

"I need to ID her," said Nikki, her reply in monotone.

"You don't have to," said ET gently. But Nikki shook her head.

"I need to," she said, her voice shaking. He nodded slowly. They stood on the dock for a moment when ET was tapped on the shoulder. Turning around, he saw Spider and Bomber pointing at the Hammersley. A covered stretcher was being carried off the Hammersley by two sailors. ET held onto Nikki's shoulders tighter but was amazed at how strong she was being. Much more composed then she had been when she had first seen her mother, Nikki began making her way over to the federal agents, who were waiting near the boarding ramp of the Hammersley. One turned around, hearing her approach.

"I'm Lieutenant Nikki Caetano from the HMAS Hammersley," she introduced herself. "The victim is my mother." The federal agent followed Nikki's eyes to the boarding ramp of the Hammersley.

"Christine Gregory. This is my partner Marcus Andrews." The second federal turned around at hearing his name.

"Were you on the HMAS Hammersley at the time?" she asked Nikki.

"I was, but not on the boarding party," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she continued. "But I need to ID her." She started to tear up again and she sniffled. ET wrapped a hand around her shoulders.

"If you'd like to come with us then..." the male agent started.

"Can I just do it here? Please?" Nikki practically begged. He turned to his partner. "I just want to get this over and done with. I know it's not standard to ID someone on a dock but I..." The agents consulted each other, not using words, just looks, and nodded.

"Alright," the male agent said finally. Nikki followed behind the stretcher as it was put into the back of the van. Before it had been fully put in though, it was stopped and someone pulled the cover back. Nikki bit her lip, choking back her tears and nodded.

"We need a formal statement," said the female agent softly. Nikki drew in a deep breath.

"This is... This is the body... of Lucia Marie Caetano," she said finally, begin to sob again. ET touched her shoulder and pulled her around and she collapsed in his arms, sobs overcoming her body. ET hugged her tighter but felt helpless. On the Hammersley, Kate and Mike were on the upper deck and had just witnessed everything.

"I think she just..." started Kate but Mike finished it for her.

"ID'd her mother." Kate nodded.

"That's not fair," said Kate, watching as her best friend was lead away by the three others on the dock. She noticed the federal agents boarding the Hammersley. "Sir." She pointed at them. Mike nodded.

"They'll want to talk to us," he added, going back inside the bridge.

I don't know if I'm going to continue posting new chapters of this story. I'm not getting much feedback so I don't know what I'm doing right or wrong. I know this makes me sound like a review hungry person but the thing is I'm not; I just want to know people's opinions so that I can improve the story/my writing etc. So please, please help me by reviewing this chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

Here's the next part to this. Before you read though, I'm not too happy about this chapter and it;s headed in a direction that I wasn't planning. But something came up and I was told something...

0640 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house

It was early morning and Spider, Bomber and ET were sitting in the kitchen when they were interrupted by a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Spider volunteered, getting up and heading for the front door. While he was gone, Bomber turned to ET.

"How's Nikki?" ET shrugged.

"I don't know. She didn't sleep at all and she's refusing to eat. But she doesn't want to talk about it."

"Has she spoken to her dad or brothers?" asked Bomber, sighing as she thought of the pain her friend was going through.

"She hasn't. I spoke to her brother Matt earlier though. He's flying up from Sydney today with her father, brother and Matt's girlfriend Tam who has been Nik's friend since they were in high school. Maybe she'll be able to get through to her," replied ET.

"Nikki's family's here," said Spider, poking his head through the door. ET and Bomber got up and headed for the front door. Matt, Ryan and Tamsin were all standing just inside the door.

"Hey guys," said ET, walking closer.

"Hey Josh," said Tam, reaching for a hug.

"I thought Harry was coming?" said ET, noticing the absence of Nikki's father.

"He did. He booked a hotel though and he headed straight there," replied Ryan. "I think he just wants to be alone." ET nodded. He saw Spider and Bomber standing behind him.

"Have you met these guys?" They all nodded.

"Visiting Nikki at port," said Bomber.

"Speaking of which, where is she?" asked Matt. ET sighed.

"In her room. She's pretty distraught." They nodded. "And finding out the way she did wouldn't help either," he added. They looked up at him and ET explained.

"Oh, Nik," said Matt softly after he had finished.

"She's so close to Lucia too," said Tam. "Why don't I try talking to her first? She might open up more." ET nodded and Tam handed her handbag to Matt, walking slowly down the hall to the room she knew was Nikki's. She visited her often and knew the house as well as she did her own. She knocked on the door softly and hearing no response, slowly opened the door. Nikki was asleep so she shut the door quietly and retreated back to the living room.

"She's asleep," she told the others.

"At least she's getting some finally," said ET.

"What, she's not sleeping?" asked Ryan. ET nodded.

"She didn't sleep at all last night. She wasn't even moving; she was just, awake."

"It was the first night," Matt pointed out. The others nodded slowly in agreement, not knowing what else to say.

2 days later, 1345 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house

It had been nearly 4 days since Lucia's death and Nikki was still keeping herself locked up. She hardly slept and had barely eaten a thing the whole time. If anyone went in to see her, she just wouldn't talk. Her family and friends were starting to worry.

"This is going too far," Tamsin said one morning. ET, Ryan and Bomber were sitting at the table with her. "In four days, she's eaten a piece of toast and an apple and slept a total of what, 3 hours?" They heard the front door close and Matt walked into the kitchen, putting down his keys.

"How was your dad?" asked Bomber. Matt shrugged.

"He's doing pretty well considering. Much better than Nikki is anyway," he said.

"We were just talking about that," said Ryan, looking at his brother.

"I don't think Dad's worrying about himself at the moment; he knows Nik isn't dealing with it well and he's spending his time worrying about her," said Matt, sitting down next to Bomber. "He just wants to see her but she's pushing him away."

"She's pushing everyone away," added ET. They group nodded. They were silent for a moment when Nikki appeared in the doorway. She didn't look tired and certainly didn't show any signs of what had been going on.

"You're up," said Tam. They watched cautiously as Nikki walked over to the bench and searched for her keys.

"Yeah," replied Nikki simply, holding up her keys once she'd found them. She began to walk back out of the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" asked ET as he and the others turned around to watch her go.

"Out," she called back from the hallway. ET looked back at the others, worried. Bomber looked at Tamsin, who was next to her with concerned eyes. Tamsin got it and stood quickly.

"I'll go," she said, hurrying out the door to catch up with Nikki. Tamsin burst out the door and called for her friend.

"Nikki, wait up!"

"I can go by myself," said Nikki stubbornly as she walked around the front of her car, pressing the button to unlock it.

"In the state you're in? I don't think so," said Tamsin, ignoring her friends' pleas that she could go by herself and slid into the passenger seat of Nikki's 5 month old Holden Commodore. Nikki sighed as she watched Tamsin buckling her seatbelt. She knew that she wasn't going to move so she just put her keys in the ignition and turned the key, pulling her seatbelt across her body as she turned around to back out of the driveway. She pulled out onto the street and took a few turns before either spoke a word.

"So where are we going?" asked Tam, pushing her friend for an answer.

"Nowhere," was the only reply she got.

***

Back at the house, ET was pacing the kitchen and the guys at the table were watching.

"She probably just wanted to clear her head. She'll be alright," said Bomber. ET looked up at the faces watching him.

"You reckon? In the state she was in?" replied ET sarcastically.

"Tam's with her so she's not going to do anything stupid," said Matt. A look of realisation crossed ET's face.

"She wouldn't do that!" said ET defensively.

"I know that, just thought that was what you meant," replied Matt. ET sighed and sunk into a chair at the table, holding his head in his hands.

***

In the car, Nikki was staring out the window, waiting for the traffic light to change to green when Tamsin's mobile rang. Nikki saw her pull it out of her jacket and Tam turned the phone to her. Caller ID said it was Josh calling.

"I'm guessing this is more for you than me," said Tam, pushing the mobile closer to Nikki. But Nikki just went back to resting her head on her arm which was against the closed window.

"He would have given up calling me when he heard my mobile under our bed," said Nikki flatly.

"Talk to him!" Tamsin insisted but Nikki just ignored her when the lights turned green. She continued driving for a few minutes before pulling into the shopping centre. She stepped out of the car and so did Tamsin, but not as quickly as Nikki. Nikki hurried off, locking her car as she walked briskly away. Tam had to run to catch up with her and she finally did at the chemist.

"Nikki what the he..." she paused when she saw her friend. "Oh my god, you're not." Nikki looked at her friend.

"Yeah because people always buy pregnancy tests when they think they're not pregnant," said Nikki sarcastically, rolling her eyes and moving away to the counter. Tamsin sighed and closed her eyes slowly, waiting for her friend to come back. Tamsin didn't say anything more until they were safely back in the car.

"Are you actually serious?" she looked at her friend with sharp eyes. Nikki, who had her hand against the window again with her head leaning on it, was looking straight out the window but could still feel her best friend's eyes boring into her. She sighed and looked at her.

"I don't know okay. It just fits."

"How do you feel about it though? I mean, if you are?" asked Tam concerned.

"Let me put it this way; I'm currently praying I'm not," replied Nikki, putting her keys into the ignition and restarting the car before leaving the car park, headed for home.

***

It hadn't actually been that long that Nikki and Tamsin had left but it was enough to make ET worry. He was surprised at how quickly she had changed; one minute she's sobbing and refusing to talk, the next she's a woman on a mission. He was out on the backyard patio with Bomber, Matt, Ryan and Spider, who had now returned home. Nikki's dog Ruby was asleep next to the deck chairs. His head looked up as he heard a car pull up. Ruby heard it too and lifted her head before running to the back gate. ET heard car doors close and the sound of the car locks being locked and was about to get up when he saw Nikki and Tamsin come through the gate.

"Everything okay?" he asked softly, still sitting. Nikki gave him a small smile and walked over and kissed him on the head.

"Yeah. I'll explain it all in a while. Just give me a bit," she said, turning to head in the side door. Everyone then turned to Tamsin.

"Don't ask," was all she replied before following Nikki inside.

"Why are women always so..." said ET, searching for the right words.

"Conservative," said Ryan in a funny voice, trying to imitate a posh, English accent. They all gave him a weird look at his choice of words. "I'm mimicking what Cameron would say," he replied to the faces. They all nodded, their eyebrows still raised.

"Right," replied Bomber, looking unconvinced before laughing. ET could hear them laughing but it was all distant as he thought back to Nikki and her sudden attitude change.

I'm not liking this at the moment. The pregnancy part only came in because of advice I was given and the fact that it will fit into the story later. I still don't like it though. I'm trying to make this as realistic as possible and I'm drawing from my own experiences; please let me know if there's anything I'm doing wrong. Especially when I'm not feeling all that confident about this story at the moment.


	5. Chapter 5

Here's the next chapter to my story. I'm still not 100% sure on this but anyway. I just want to thank all of you who have been writing reviews. As I said to some of you a few days ago, I was having a bad few days and your reviews really made me smile. So thanks a million.

"Please just tell me its negative," said Nikki as she lay back down on her bed. The door to the ensuite was open and Tamsin was standing in the doorway between the bedroom and ensuite.

"Do you want me to look?" she asked, looking at her friend. Nikki continued staring at the ceiling and nodded. Tam turned around and walked back into the bathroom.

"Tell me Tam!" demanded Nikki impatiently. "Just tell me it's negative."

"I could lie," said Tamsin a moment later, scrunching up her face. Nikki turned her head and saw Tam standing, holding the test up and sure enough, it was positive.

"Great. My life just gets better and better," said Nikki, rolling back over. Tam put the test back on the bench and came and sat down on Nikki's bed.

"It's not a bad thing," she tried.

"I can't get over the fact that my mother's..." she started, taking a deep breath as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm not ready for this." She swiped the tears from her eyes.

"You want to know what I think?" said Tamsin, moving closer to Nikki. Nikki turned and looked at Tam over her shoulder. "I think you doubt yourself too much." Nikki inhaled deeply and sniffed.

"You are an awesome friend to have you know that?" said Nikki, sitting up to hug her friend. As she hugged her, Tam was relieved that Nikki had at least opened up to someone.

***

Nikki was lying on her bed, holding a framed photograph taken of her, Lucia and Tamsin at a party 8 months ago. Each were holding glasses of wine and were laughing and smiling happily. Tears slipped down her cheeks as she remembered that that was the last time she had seen her mother. Nikki recalled the party; her older brother Dan's 28th. It had been a big family occasion, as usual in her family, held at a reception venue in Sydney. Nikki had been able to sneak away from the Navy for 2 days to attend and catch up with her family. _2 days_, she thought to herself. _The last time I saw my own mother was 8 months ago and the only effort I could make was 2 days. I'm so selfish._ She wiped away the tears when there was a knock at the door. ET popped his head around the door.

"Can I come in?" he asked cautiously. Nikki sniffed and nodded. She watched as he came to his side of the bed and sat next to her. He noticed the photo she was holding. "Are you okay?" Nikki burst into tears again. ET thought she was crying about the photo but he was wrong.

"It's not about Mum," said Nikki through tears. ET frowned slightly, unsure of what was really going on.

"It's okay," he replied, taking her into his arms. She felt his familiar warmth and realised then how much she had been pushing him away.

"I'm sorry for pushing you away," she whispered. ET gave a small smile and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't be silly. It's okay," laughed ET softly. Nikki pulled away from him slightly and looked into his eyes.

"I have something to tell you," she said. ET looked down at her and brushed a few tears from her cheeks. He nodded, not sure what to expect. Nikki took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant," she eventually spoke, continuing to look at him. He didn't say anything; he was too shocked to say anything. _That must have been what was up this morning_, he thought.

"Oh god," she muttered and turned her head away from him, clearly thinking she had said the wrong thing. ET obviously noticed his mistake and turned her face gently towards him.

"That's not what I meant," he smiled. "I think I'm just a bit in shock! That's fantastic!" Nikki looked back up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Oh Nik," he said, enveloping her in a hug again.

"Mum," was the only word she managed to squeeze out.

"I know, I know," said ET into her hair, holding her as she cried. After a few minutes, Nikki pulled back and looked at her fiancé again.

"When Tam and I talked about it before, I was so against it," Nikki admitted. ET nodded, showing he understood. "I felt like I had lost all control in my life and I can't deal with that." ET laughed softly. "It's not funny!" Nikki insisted but she too was starting to laugh.

"I'm laughing at how controlling you are!" he continued laughing. "But it's one of the things I love about you.

"I'm not that bad!" she bit back. He raised her eyebrows. "Okay, maybe I am. It's just that I feel if I can't control things, I'm out of my depth." ET nodded.

"I know that this is going to be hard, especially now but maybe it's a good thing. I reckon that it happened now to give you something positive to focus on," said ET, hoping to change her mind about the pregnancy after he could see she was struggling to deal with it. Nikki sighed and nodded, knowing he was right. But she also couldn't help the feelings of dread in her stomach. She leant back against him and closed her eyes.

_1130 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

It had been exactly a week since Lucia's death and Nikki had only just begun to open up. She had talked a little to Kate and also Bomber, Tam and ET. She still cried a lot. Thankfully for her, the Hammersley crew had been granted 2 weeks shore leave and most surprisingly, it had not been cancelled. Bomber, Spider, ET, Matt, Ryan and Tamsin were drinking coffee in the kitchen.

"She's still pushing us away," said Ryan suddenly.

"You know Nikki. She needs to deal with things in her own way," replied Tamsin. She glanced at ET. Nikki had only told two other people about the pregnancy and that was Kate and Bomber.

"We need to start organising funeral arrangements," said Ryan. "But I don't think she's up for it."

"And we need to do it soon; Mum's being released to us in a few days and we can't put it off given how long it would be since..." Matt's voice trailed off. The federal police were still investigating the death and therefore Lucia's funeral couldn't go ahead yet.

"I just wish she didn't have to push us away, especially Dad. You know she still hasn't seen him?" said Ryan. ET nodded.

"I'm sorry," said a voice from the doorway. They turned to face the door and saw Nikki standing there. "I haven't meant to push you all away, I've just been... I don't know, trying to deal with it on my own I guess." ET stood up and went over to her, giving her a kiss on the forehead. She wrapped her arms around him, taking him slightly by surprise given she had made barely any contact with anyone in days. He returned her hug and she only pulled back to ask a question. "Have they found out anything?" Matt and Ryan both shook their heads.

"They autopsy results should be released by this afternoon and the federal police are still investigating," replied Matt. Nikki nodded.

"I need to go and see Dad," said Nikki next. The next part surprised ET the most. "Would you come with me? Please?" she asked him. He was slightly shocked but nodded. "Okay, well I'm going to get dressed and then we can go okay?" ET nodded absently. Once she disappeared out of earshot, he turned to the others at the table who all looked just as surprised as ET.

"She's had a change of tune," said Ryan, breaking the stunned silence.

"Yeah," replied Bomber, speaking the words drawn out and slowly.

"Maybe she's ready to accept it," said Tam, thinking logically. The others nodded before Nikki reappeared.

"You ready?" she asked to ET. He nodded and grabbed his car keys from the hook before following her outside.

_1145 hours_

ET and Nikki were driving to the hotel where Harry Caetano was staying.

"What am I meant to say to him?" asked Nikki. ET looked across quickly before looking back at the road.

"Remember, he's going through what you're going through," said ET, glancing at her again whilst they were stopped at the traffic lights.

"No, I mean how I was there and she still ended up, you know," said Nikki, still not being able to say the exact words. ET looked over at her with concern.

"You don't blame yourself do you?" he asked, his eyes darting between her and the road. Nikki shrugged her shoulders.

"I was there. I was there and yet she's not here anymore," she replied.

"Nikki, it wasn't your fault. It was a terrible accident; you couldn't have done anything," said ET insistently. Nikki was silent for a moment.

"We don't know if it was an accident yet," she said finally. "And I know you're right; I couldn't have saved her even if I tried. But I should have been with her. I didn't even get to tell her I loved her." ET wasn't sure what to say. He reached over and took her hand.

"She knew you loved her. She did," he replied.

"You think?" said Nikki slowly. ET looked over at her and smiled.

"I know."

***

That's it for tonight. Please let me know what you think. I still don't like the pregnancy thing and I don't think my opinion on that's going to change. And I know I keep saying this but it will fit into the story later. But do please let me know what you think.


	6. Chapter 6

_Before you read the next chapter, I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed; it is really appreciated. _

_This is dedicated to __**101Bubblez101**__ whose story "A Job Turned Into A Lifetime" has given me something great to read and inspired me to keep writing my own story. _

_And this is also dedicated to __**navandetforever **__who has made me smile and encouraged me to keep writing. Thanks guys!_

_1200 hours, Hotel_

ET and Nikki arrived at room 216, the room her father was in. Taking a deep breath, Nikki couldn't bring herself to knock. ET realised this so he stepped in and did it for her. A few moments later, the door opened slowly and there stood Harry. Despite the sad look on his face, his face brightened up at the sight of his only daughter.

"Nicole," he said with a slight smile. This caused Nikki to sigh with relief and smile. It was a long held joke between her and her family. They knew she hated being called Nicole and used to tease her about it. She let out a small, soft laugh and rushed to hug him. ET couldn't help but smile as he watched Nikki and Harry.

"I'm sorry I haven't come to see you Dad," said Nikki, releasing herself from her fathers' warm embrace. "I didn't know how to deal with everything and I just pushed everyone away." She turned her head around to look at ET and he smiled.

"I understand sweetheart. I'm lost myself," he replied. She hugged him again.

"Listen Dad, I really want to talk. We were wondering if you'd like to come have lunch with us," said Nikki. Harry looked down at his daughter and smiled.

"Love to."

_1245 hours, Restaurant_

Nikki, ET and Harry were having lunch at a restaurant not far from his hotel. They hadn't really spoken about Lucia's death as such, more just talking about her in general. ET learnt a lot about her from the stories that Harry and Nikki told him and was happy to see Nikki looking so much better.

"You know, you could have stayed with us," said Nikki to Harry.

"I needed the space," Harry admitted. "And besides, where would you fit me?"

"Dan and Cameron arrived the day after you guys but are staying at a chalet near us and Matt, Ryan and Tam are out our place but we could have squeezed you in," laughed Nikki. Harry laughed too. A little while later, Nikki excused herself to go to the bathroom, leaving Harry and ET alone.

"She says she's fine but I know how stubborn my daughter can be. Is she really okay?" asked Harry once she'd gone. ET could only reply.

"She went through a rough few days," he admitted. "You all did. But she seems to be getting better, if today's anything to go by." ET was still a little shocked at her sudden turn around. Harry nodded.

"She's a lucky girl, having you to look out for her," replied Harry. Hearing these words, ET instantly thought back to Lucia's final words.

"_I want you to marry her and make her happy. Look after my little girl for me."_

"Lucia always used to talk to me about you two. She knew that you would be the one to make our daughter happy," said Harry. "She saw how much you adore her. And Lucia never was one to settle for second best." ET gave him a small smile, pleased to hear he had impressed them. And they are Italian!

"She told me," said ET. Nikki returned and wondered what they had been talking about. But before she could ask, ET's mobile rang. He excused himself to answer it. Nikki and Harry spoke a bit more about Lucia until ET returned.

"They've got some new information," he said. Harry and Nikki looked at each other. "That was Tamsin; they'll meet with you in half an hour at federal police headquarters." Nikki swallowed hard. She knew what this could potentially do to her. She had just started to come to terms with her mothers' death and now it was all about to resurface; all those feelings she managed to overcome. She got up slowly and literally pounced on ET, seeking comfort in his warm arms.

_I325 hours, Australian Federal Police Headquarters_

Nikki, ET and Harry arrived 5 minutes early and found Matt, Ryan, Tamsin, Dan and Cameron already waiting.

"Good to see you up little sis," said Cameron as they approached.

"And looking less like a zombie," joked Dan, giving his sister a hug. Normally she would have laughed at his making fun of her but she didn't feel like laughing right about now.

"So what exactly di..." Nikki started to ask but Tam jumped in, already knowing the question.

"All they said was exactly what I told Josh, which is nothing." Nikki nodded. Just after half past three, an officer came outside and called them in. He directed them to a conference room where a few people were already waiting. Each took seats on either side of the long table and waited for someone to speak. Nikki, who was wearing her engagement ring, sat twisting it. ET noticed this and covered her hands with one of his. Looking at his hand, Nikki must have realised what she was doing and looked up at him to smile. _I don't know how he puts up with me,_ Nikki thought to herself. Her thoughts were broken when another federal agent entered the room and addressed the family.

"I understand you are the family of Lucia Caetano?" he said. They nodded. "Okay, I'd like to offer you our condolences, on behalf of everyone here." Nikki nodded slowly but kept her gaze on the man that was speaking. "I'd also like to state that our investigations are not complete, and will be ongoing. We just want to bring you up to speed on what we know so far."

"Do you know how she died?" asked Dan straight up. Always the professional one, Cameron spoke up before the agent could answer.

"What he means is that we were hoping you might know the cause of death." Dan, who was sitting next to Cameron, rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest. The agent opened a file on the table in front of him and picked up a piece of paper.

"The coroner has stated that Mrs Caetano and her friends were poisoned. The source of the poison is still unknown."

"So why did Mum die and her friends are okay?" questioned Ryan. The agent looked to another agent before continuing.

"Mrs Caetano died from a cardiac arrest. This was caused by a heart defect."

"A what?" asked Nikki and Matt together, rising slightly from their seats.

"You were unaware that she was suffering from cardio arrhythmia?" he asked the group. No one answered, just looked at each other, stunned.

"Cardio ar... cardio what?" asked Ryan eventually. The agent turned and a woman stepped forward slightly.

"Cardio arrhythmia. It's a defect of the heart," said the woman. The group eyed her curiously, wondering who this person was while they were trying to digest the information. She noticed the looks. "My names' Patricia Freelands and I am a doctor, of sorts. I explain coroners' findings to families." A few members of the group nodded slightly.

"So what's this cardio arrhythmia?" asked Harry, his voice sounding like he hoped he had just pronounced it right.

"It's a heart rhythm disorder. It's when the heart beats too slowly that not enough blood flows to the brain. Some people it affects all the time, others it's rarely an issue. Lucia could have had it her whole life without even knowing she had it," said Patricia. Nikki sat there, staring directly in front of her. She was shocked at hearing her mother had a heart defect; it was something that had never crossed her mind. But it was Cameron's words that rattled her the most.

"Hang on, a heart defect? Aren't a lot of heart defects hereditary?" Nikki perked up at this, her thoughts instantly becoming about her unborn baby. Patricia took a deep breath.

"Yes, with arrhythmia, it can often be inherited," she confirmed. Everyone was silent with shock. Nikki sat back into her seat and ET took her hand.

"Are you saying that it might have been passed on?" asked Harry eventually. Patricia nodded slowly.

"There is a chance that your children may have inherited the condition, yes," she said.

****

_So what do you guys think? Please review and let me know. It's much appreciated!!!_


	7. Chapter 7

_So here's the next chapter. I hope you are enjoying this. This chapter hasn't got people getting shot or attacked so I know some of you may think it's boring. But, it's essential to the story. Please do let me know what you think about it. _

_Dedicated again to __**navandetforever **__who has again shown support for the story. Much appreciated. And also to__** harryntwilight**__ for reviewing with such positive words. It honestly means so much to me. _

_***_

"_Are you saying that it might have been passed on?" asked Harry eventually. Patricia nodded slowly. _

"_There is a chance that your children may have inherited the condition, yes," she said. _

"Oh," said Nikki, putting her hand to her forehead.

"But that said, there is a very high chance that it wasn't passed on," Patricia said quickly. "But you will need to be tested," she said, directing her comment to Lucia's children. Everyone was stunned, thoughts of heart conditions ruling all their thoughts. Each showed different reactions to it; Matt was bent over and Tamsin was rubbing his back, Ryan was rubbing a hand over his mouth repeatedly, Cameron was sitting with a blank expression, Dan had his hand resting on his mouth and was watching his sister who was hiding behind her hand, no doubt in tears while ET was comforting her and Harry was just looking at each of his children, seeing their fears and his. But despite the different reactions, each of them was all worried about the same thing.

***

Twenty minutes later, the meeting was officially over and the family walked slowly outside the federal police building. They hadn't really been told much, excluding the arrhythmia, except that investigations were ongoing. They slowly descended the stairs but didn't head for the car park, instead heading across the road to the park. There they all sat, some on the park bench, Ryan and Dan on the swings and the rest on the grass. Nikki was sitting on the grass and leaned back onto ET. Everyone was still reeling from the news of how exactly Lucia died. But Nikki's mind was racing with other thoughts; what if she had the same condition as her mother and she passed it onto her baby? She couldn't bare that thought. She looked back up at ET and he knew what she was thinking.

"Everything will be okay," he whispered, wrapping his arms tighter around her. From where she was sitting, Tamsin watched the couple and had an educated guess as to what was on their minds. _Like they needed anything else to deal with right now_, she thought. She was interrupted by Nikki.

"Guys, there's something we want to tell you," she said. Everyone turned their attentions to the couple. "This was a big shock and we weren't expecting it to be like this but with everything and the arryth..."

"Just spit it out little sis," encouraged Dan. Nikki took a deep breath.

"Okay then... I'm pregnant." While everyone was speechless for a moment, their faces soon turned to grins and they felt like something positive was coming out of the day. Nikki watched her fathers' face and could see his smile. She rushed over and hugged him.

"You're Mother would be so proud of you," he whispered as he hugged his youngest and only daughter. This caused the tears for both father and daughter as Nikki whispered.

"I know." They broke their hug and looked at each other with a smile. Nikki was hugged from behind by Ryan.

"It's about time little sis," he teased. She laughed.

"What are you getting stuck into me for? I'm the youngest!" Once the buzz had died down a little, the family sat.

"I know that you probably don't want to deal with this yet but we have to," said Nikki. "We need to find out about this arrhythmia thing." The others nodded.

"As soon as," added Cameron. Nikki nodded.

"I'm going to try and see if I can be booked in tomorrow for tests," said Nikki. She looked at Josh. "We need to find out, especially for the baby." Her brothers nodded, trying to understand exactly what agony their sister and her fiancé were going through. Although this was terrible for everyone, Nikki had to think about her baby too.

"Let's get this over with," said Dan. "We'll all get tested tomorrow."

_0915 hours, ET, Nikki, Bomber and Spider's house. _

ET opened his bedroom door slowly the next morning to see Nikki still in bed.

"Are you alright? Do you have morning sickness?" he asked worriedly. Nikki couldn't help but smile at how protective and caring he was. She had been cold and distant all week and he was still there for her like that. _God I love him, _she thought.

"I'm okay," she replied quietly. "No morning sickness." ET brushed a piece of hair off her face.

"You're nervous about today?" he guessed. She sniffed and nodded.

"What am I meant to do if I have got the condition?"

"Then we'll deal with it," said ET, rubbing her back.

"I meant about the baby."

"Don't draw the conclusion when nothings even happened yet," he told her, holding out his hand. "Come on." She groaned and allowed him to pull her out of bed. But the minute she stood, nausea washed over her.

"Oh god!" she cried, throwing open the ensuite door. ET smiled before reaching over the bed to unplug his mobile from the charger on his bedside table.

_0955 hours, Barry General Hospital_

Nikki, ET, Tamsin and Matt arrived a minute before Dan and Cameron did, leaving them to grow more and more anxious as they waited in the waiting room. Nikki sat, fidgeting with her engagement ring, wondering what the outcome would be. What about her career? Would the Navy still want her if she had a heart condition? She was brought out of her thoughts as two doctors appeared, holding files. One of them was Nikki's usual doctor, Sophie Bradbury, while the other one she didn't know. The group were ushered in the room where they all sat.

"Okay, I already know Nikki but my name's Sophie Bradbury and this is Dr Mark Taylor. Before we do anything, I just want to run through any questions you might have and tell you a bit more about arrhythmia." They all nodded absently.

"If we've got it what happens then?" asked Matt.

"Well, medication can be given and a pacemaker can often be required too, depending on the extent. With this medical condition, it can affect others while for some it does absolutely nothing. I have to ask, have any of you ever experienced any chest pain or breathing difficulties before?" asked Dr Taylor.

"From a punctured lung but I'm guessing that doesn't count," contributed Nikki. The doctors smiled. The boys all shook their heads.

"Have you got any other questions?" asked Dr Bradbury.

"Okay, I'm pregnant so what will this mean for the baby?" asked Nikki, asking the question she had wanted an answer to all last night.

"Well, if you did have the condition, we'd test the baby after it's born to see if it's inherited it. Other than that, there's not really much we can do at this stage." Nikki was still tense and Josh reached for her hand and squeezed it.

"So, are we ready to start?" asked Dr Taylor.

_1435 hours, Restaurant near Hammersley port_

Once they had finished at the hospital, the group had headed for lunch. The results wouldn't be in until later that day so they tried to push it from their minds and enjoy lunch. Harry hadn't joined them at the hospital but had met them for lunch.

"You know, this is the first time we've really properly caught up in ages," said Dan as he ate his lunch. There were murmurs of reply and Nikki instantly thought of her mother. _If only mum was here, _she thought.

"Tell us more about the life on Hammersley," said Ryan to ET and Nikki. Nikki began to lose herself in the conversation; the Hammersley was another family to her and she loved talking about her life there. Nikki's mobile began to ring and she looked at the Caller ID, showing that Kate was calling. She excused herself to answer.

"Hi Kate," said Nikki, praying that it wasn't a call to say that Hammersley had been tasked. After Kate asked how she was and everything, she told her the real reason behind her call.

"I'm sorry, Hammersley's been tasked," she admitted. "It's not a long task; should be back by tomorrow though." Nikki sighed. Of all the times.

"Okay, I'll let them know. When do we sail?"

"Boss wants to leave by 1600," replied Kate. "And Nikki, you can ask for shore leave you know."

"Kate, I'm fine. And besides, you said it would only be short," insisted Nikki. She was actually quite please as she thought about it. Burying herself in work would help her forget for a while. She hung up the phone and rejoined the others.

"Hammersley's been tasked," she announced.

"You're kidding right?" was ET's response. He groaned when he realised she was being serious.

"You're not going are you?" asked Tamsin, slightly shocked as she watched Nikki pick up her handbag.

"I know you're all going to hate me for this, but yes, I am," she replied.

"But you've been all over the place for days, you just lost your mother, you're waiting on some fairly significant news and you're pregnant," said Tamsin, slightly insistently. Nikki sighed as she looked at her family's faces. She knew how much this would hurt them

"I know all of that but it's my job and the distraction will be good. And it's a short patrol; we should be back by tomorrow night. I want to do something constructive," she reasoned, making eye contact with her father.

"She's right, maybe this is a good thing. And it's her job; the Navy needs their top navigator," replied her father, giving his daughter a sympathetic smile. Nikki smiled at her father. He understood her job; he had been in the Navy. And he could also understand her need for space. She said goodbye to her family before she and Josh headed out of the restaurant, making their way to Nikki's car to head home. The pair climbed into the car and didn't speak, until both had shut the doors.

"Are you sure you want to do this? No one expects you to, with your mum and everything," said ET, holding her hand and looking into her eyes. Nikki again smiled at his caring ways.

"I want to do this," she replied. "I want to do something valuable with my time; sitting at home isn't going to do anything." ET seemed to understand this and nodded, holding his hand out for her keys. She passed them over and he started the car, leaving the parking lot for the short drive to their house.

Returning home, the pair quickly grabbed their bags. Nikki was outside feeding Ruby, the cordless phone held between her shoulder and ear as she hurried to book a taxi. She looked up slightly when her neighbour, who also happened to be the Hammersley's coxswain, Swain, stuck his head over the fence.

"Are you going out with us?" he asked. She nodded. Swain seemed a little shocked at first that she was going but realised very quickly that this was Nav; she never was one to let anything stand in the way of her job. "Well, do you guys want a lift then?" Nikki smiled, holding up the phone and pressing 'END.'

"Thanks. I was just about to book a taxi because we're leaving our cars here in case my family need them," she replied, grateful for the offer.

"Alright, you right to leave in 10?" said Swain. He disappeared behind the fence again when she nodded. Hurrying inside, she couldn't see Josh but their wardrobe door was open with the light on so she assumed he was there. Poking her head around the corner, she saw that she was right.

"Swain said he'd give us a lift; we're leaving in ten minutes," she told him. He turned around and nodded, grabbing what he was looking for and leaving the wardrobe. He looked at Nikki, who was sitting on the bed, pulling something from the draw. He went to stand in front of her, causing her to look up when he did. "Can I help you with something?"

"I know I already asked this but are you sure you want to do this? You're results are coming in this afternoon and your mother and the baby," he said softly.

"I'll be okay; I want the distraction from everything. And I won't do anything dangerous to endanger our child, I promise," she said, reaching over to give him a quick kiss. He smiled as he sighed, watching her chuck her things into her bag.

"Alright then, let's go!" he said, grabbing her bag as well as his own and leaving the house.

****

_That's it for now. So what do you think about Nikki possibly having arrhythmia? And in another note, any of you who watch _Packed to the Rafters _will think I've stolen this from there but the thing is this was actually written before that came out so I swear I didn't! This is mostly taken from personal experience._

_I've got to go and attempt to break this major writers block I'm having. Seriously, I just can't sit down and write; all of what you're reading was pre-written (from my pre-writers block days) and it's starting to catch up..._


	8. Chapter 8

_Here's chapter 8 of "Underlying Facts." I just want to thank you all so much for your support. I am truly grateful. _

_I hate writing a long author's note but before you do read this, I just want to say that this is probably not very well written on account of the fact that I wrote this last night whilst in hospital. A certain someone had an injection and has a tendency to faint and I didn't listen to the doctor and went to the bathroom by myself and fainted but then knocked myself out on a sink. Nice work huh? So I spent last night in there and wrote this in a semi-concussed state. So please forgive me. _

_Dedicated to __**navandetforever **__again for the strong support that has been shown towards this story and pushing me to keep writing. So thankyou._

_1515 hours, HMAS Hammersley home port. _

ET and Nikki were walking up the dock and about to board the Hammersley. Nikki followed ET, saluting as she boarded and was stopped by Mike on the way.

"You know you don't have to be here Nav," he said. Nikki smiled; this was the fourth time she had been told this now, ET, Kate, Swain and now the CO.

"I know sir but I want to. Besides, it's a good distraction." The CO seemed to understand and nodded his head before heading towards the bridge. Nikki had just entered her cabin when her roommate arrived.

"Hi X," said Nikki, placing her laptop bag on the desk.

"You're looking much better," said Kate, eyeing her curiously. As she watched Nikki rummage around her handbag, Kate couldn't help but wonder if things were really okay.

"I'm feeling much better," said Nikki, hoping that her fears were not coming through in her voice. Kate nodded, unconvinced, but decided to drop it, knowing that Nikki would talk when she was ready.

"Okay, well I'm heading to the bridge," said Kate, exiting the room. Nikki watched the door close before sinking back onto the bed. This had been harder than she'd thought. _Just focus, _she told herself, taking a deep breath. _Just keep your mind on the job. _

_1735 hours, HMAS Hammersley Bridge_

Nikki was sitting in the bridge at the navigator's console. She stifled a yawn; she was on watch later and she knew that she couldn't fall asleep. However the CO noticed.

"Why don't you get some sleep Nav?" he suggested. She let her head loll back on the chair and faced him.

"No, I can't sleep much anyway, no matter how tired I am," she admitted. Swain looked at the CO after this comment. They both assumed that Nikki must still be struggling with her mothers' death, that being the reason that she wasn't sleeping. But Nikki knew that it wasn't that. Both Kate and ET had tried to persuade her to tell the CO about the pregnancy, at least so he would understand what was going on more. But Nikki had refused. She had told Kate that it was too early and she didn't want to say anything yet; she hadn't yet told Kate about the arrhythmia scare. And she had told Josh that she didn't want to say anything yet as she didn't know what the outcome would be, given the arrhythmia. She continued staring at the radar in front of her for a little longer, her eyelids growing heavier and heavier. After a little while, the CO had had enough.

"That's it Nav. Go and get some rest," he said, pointing to the door. She was about to protest when the CO cut her off. "That's an order Nav." Nikki sighed, knowing she couldn't defy an order. Reluctantly, she stood up and slowly left the bridge, trudging down the Hammersley's long hallways until she reached her cabin. She couldn't sleep, so she just lay there, plenty of different thoughts swirling around in her head. She wasn't thinking whole thoughts, it was just odd words.

_Heart condition... Mum... Baby... Josh... Arrhythmia... Dad... Brothers... Mum... Funeral_

She was completely lost in those thoughts when Kate knocked on the door 15 minutes later.

"I'm just coming to check on you," she said, closing the door quietly behind her. Nikki rolled over and propped herself up on her elbow.

"I'm okay," she replied, trying to smile.

"How are you feeling about the baby?" asked Kate. When she had first been told about the pregnancy, Nikki still hadn't got her head wrapped around the idea and was having trouble accepting it. Nikki wasn't sure how to answer this.

"Josh has been pointing out the positives to me and I can see where he's coming from," said Nikki. "I'm still unsure about it all though. And my head keeps telling me not to get excited because anything could happen." Kate frowned.

"Any reason why it should?" she said, noticing the voice masking the concern that was obviously affecting Nikki. Nikki closed her eyes slowly and swallowed. She knew she should tell Kate; that's what friends are for right? Nikki pulled herself up into a sitting position on the bunk.

"The autopsy results for Mum were released yesterday," said Nikki. Kate still looked unsure, wondering where this line of conversation was now going. Nikki took a deep breath in, attempting to stop the tears that she knew would be coming. "Mum had poison in her system."

"Poison? I don't..."

"The feds don't know how or why yet. But it wasn't the poison that ki..." Nikki stopped and took a deep breath. "It wasn't the poison that killed her." She was now struggling with the tears again. Kate looked up at her concerned. "It was a cardiac arrest; Mum had a heart defect." It had taken Nikki a total of two and a half minutes to get those few lines out.

"Hey, come here," said Kate, leaning over to hug her friend. As Nikki hugged her friend, she knew that Kate thought they had known about the heart condition before hand. Nikki also knew that her friend was going to be shocked when she told her the rest of the story. Nikki pulled back only when she felt strong enough to explain.

"Kate, but, but the thing is, is that the arrhythmia, that's the name of it, can be inherited," said Nikki, the sobs beginning to overwhelm her. Kate's face changed from concerned to a look of realisation.

"Oh Nikki," she said, looking deeply at her friend.

"My brothers and I had tests this morning and were waiting for the results," said Nikki a moment later. "But... but I keep thinking, what if I do have it? What if I passed it on to..." Nikki didn't finish her sentence; she just placed her hands on her stomach. Kate didn't know what to say so she just hugged her friend tightly again. When she drew away, Nikki leaned her head against the wall and looked slightly upward.

"You know, there's every chance you don't have it," said Kate quietly after they had been sitting in silence for a few minutes.

"And there's every chance I do," replied Nikki hastily. She slid off the bunk. "I'm going to the bridge; I'll go nuts with boredom being in here mulling over it all night." Kate seemed to understand this and began to follow her friend up the hall. As she arrived on the bridge and the CO turned around in his chair. He opened his mouth to speak when Nav began talking first.

"Uh sir, I really want to work. I'm honestly fine; sitting in my cabin thinking about it isn't going to make things easier," she said. Mike sighed, knowing it would be pointless to argue. And besides, seeing how she was right now, he knew she would just go back to her cabin and do paperwork. He eventually nodded and she smiled before going to the navigators console to replace RO. It was getting later when the phone rang.

"Hammersley, Leading Seaman Dixon." RO was silent for a moment as he listened to the caller. "Uh Nav, there's a call for you; it's your brother Ryan." Nikki looked over at Mike who nodded.

"Take it in the comcen Nav," he said. She smiled gratefully before sliding out of her chair and exiting the bridge. Within a few minutes, she was settled in the comcen, waiting on the line for her brother.

"Ryan?" she said when the line came through.

"Yeah, we've got our results," he said. Nikki waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"And?" she asked impatiently.

"Dan, Cam and I have gotten the all clear. But Matt's haven't come through yet," he replied.

"What about mine?" asked Nikki, dread building more and more with each minute.

"They won't release yours to us; you have to call and get the results." Nikki nodded to herself.

"I'm going to go then and get mine," she said quietly.

"Let us know okay?" said Ryan, hearing the angst in his sisters' voice. Nikki slowly hung up the phone and put her head in her hands. She sat there for a moment, contemplating the situation. Three of her brothers had been given the all clear, making her feel slightly relieved. But she was still fretting about her brother, not to mention herself and the baby. She wasn't as freaked out about having it herself; she was more concerned by the fact that if she had it, then she may very well have passed it on to her unborn child. She took a deep breath and sat up straight. _Be brave, _she told herself. _You need to do this, for your baby. _Nikki slowly picked up the receiver and looked at the number written on a small piece of paper she had kept in her pocket. Dialling the numbers slowly, she waited for it to connect. She spoke to the receptionist, who then put her through to another section before another department until she finally got who she was looking for. _This is like talking to Telstra, _she sighed as she waited for the doctor to pick up.

"Dr Sophie Bradbury," answered the doctor. Nikki told her what she was ringing for and she answered. "Of course Nikki. I actually have your brother Matt with me right now. I'm guessing you want your results." Nikki allowed a few tears to slip down her cheeks before replying.

"Yes."

***

_That's it until the next chapter. What do you guys think? Would you hate me if I made her have a heart condition? Would you think I'm letting her off too easily if she doesn't have it? Please review and have your say. I'd be very grateful. _

_I'd also just like to say that I am now officially a Beta Reader. So if you've got a story that you want edited or anything, please let me know because I would love to do them. I really would. _


	9. Chapter 9

_Hi everyone! Sorry for the extremely slow update. I have been suffering really bad writers block; I must have hit my head on the sink harder than I thought! Lol. So here it is, please let me know what you think. _

_****  
_

_1900 hours, HMAS Hammersley Bridge_

It was evening and the Hammersley was still making its course towards the destination.

"Where's Nav?" asked the CO, looking at the empty chair she usually occupied. "I assumed she would have been back by now." ET, who was on the helm, had been thinking the exact same thing. The door to the bridge opened and Bomber and Spider entered. Mike turned around upon hearing the door. "Either of you seen Nav?"

"I saw her heading into the comcen but that would have been at least an hour ago," piped up Spider. Bomber just shook her head.

"Would you like me to go and see where she is?" asked Kate. Mike nodded. He needed her in the bridge now but was reluctant to use the internal radio to call her; he had noticed that something was distracting her all day so he didn't want to interrupt if something was wrong. Kate left the bridge to find her while ET remained at the helm, worrying about a certain someone more and more.

Kate had checked the Senior Sailors mess and the cabin she shared with the navigator but so far she hadn't seen a clue as to where she might be. Popping her head into the galley, Kate only saw sailors waiting for dinner and no sign of her friend. Kate had no idea where she was until she passed the ship's office. Nikki was often in there doing paperwork and reports so Kate decided to see. Knocking on the door, Kate slowly swung the door open to reveal Nikki sitting on the floor, her laptop on the ground in front of her and papers littered all over the floor.

"Nikki, what are you doing?" asked Kate, looking at the papers scattered everywhere.

"Finishing off some reports that really should have been done a while ago," replied Nikki, not glancing up as she continued reading the paper she was holding and typing with one hand.

"You can write a report like this?" asked Kate, gesturing with her hand the papers everywhere. "You're normally the organised one." Nikki looked up at this final comment and could see Kate was waiting for an explanation. _Why can she always see right through me? _thought Nikki. Nikki tilted her head back slightly and looked at the ceiling.

"The results came in," said Nikki finally. Kate nodded although she had already guessed that this was what it was all about.

"And?" asked Kate, shaking her head slightly.

"Ryan, Dan and Cameron got the all clear," she said. She took in a deep breath. "But Matt's got it. He's got the same condition our mother had." Kate tilted her head and gave her friend sympathetic eyes.

"And... what about you?" she said quietly, trying to look at the navigators eyes although she was facing the ground. When Nikki finally looked up again, Kate saw the tears welled in her eyes.

"I've got it too," she said, starting to whimper slightly. Kate herself now had tears starting to form in her eyes.

"Oh Nik," she said, moving to sit on the ground near her friend and pulling her into a tight hug. Nikki couldn't contain herself from crying anymore; she let the tears spill down her cheeks as the sobs took over her body. Neither of them even heard the announcement over the internal intercom.

"XO, Nav bridge."

Up on the bridge, Mike was starting to wonder. He had put out a call for Kate and Nikki and neither had responded. _This is not like them, _he thought. But now, he had not only lost his two officers, the Hammersley was going to have to head straight into a cyclone. And his navigator was nowhere to be seen. He picked up the radio hand piece again.

"XO, Nav, bridge at the rush." He held onto the handpiece, waiting for a reply. He looked across at ET, who was now sitting at the EOD.

"ET, I want you to go and see if you can find the X and Nav. Tell them I need them here NOW!"

"Yes sir," said ET, hurrying from the bridge in search of the Lieutenants. Mike watched him hurry off as a mayday signal came through.

"Mayday... m...ay..." the radio crackled, only picking up bits of the communication. "Ne...sis...ance."

"RO?" said Mike, turning to the radio operator. "Have you got their position?" RO shook his head.

"It was a bad line sir. I couldn't ascertain anything except the mayday."

"Keep trying RO," ordered Mike. _Great, _was his thought. _Tonight is getting better and better._

Meanwhile, ET was hurrying around the Hammersley, still looking for Nikki and Kate. When he did find them, he was instantly crushed to see Nikki in tears on the floor, Kate beside her. _Oh, this can't be good, _he thought, not moving from his place in the doorway. Kate looked up and saw him and began to pry herself away from Nikki. Nikki barely flinched when she did.

"You need to talk to her," whispered Kate to ET as she sidled past on her way out. ET looked over his shoulder at the figure of the retreating X before looking back to his fiancé. Nikki looked up too.

"I...I've got it," she said, her voice nearly strangled by the tears. ET didn't say anything; he just made his way over to her and took her in his arms. Nikki was shaking; she was finding it hard to process everything. In a week she had lost her mother, found out she was pregnant and been told she had a heart condition, all in a week. She pulled back and looked at Josh. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Don't you dare start apologising Nikki Caetano," he said firmly. "Don't you dare."

"What if our baby..." she whispered before ET interrupted her.

"Then we'll deal with it. But the baby probably doesn't even have it anyway."

"The chance? My mother had it, now I've got it and I'm pregnant. There is..." Nikki couldn't continue her sentence anymore; her emotions were getting the better of her.

"You can't think like that," replied ET into her hair as she was still sobbing on his chest. He pulled her back to look into her eyes. "You need to focus on being positive." He put a hand on her still flat stomach. "It's not good for either of you being negative." Hearing this caused Nikki to burst into new tears.

"I can't do this," she whispered. ET continued hugging her, rocking her gently. "I just... I just can't do this." ET closed his eyes slowly, contemplating what was going to happen from now.

"You can. Okay, you can," he tried. "You're just putting way too much pressure on yourself."

"No, I can't," she said, looking up into his eyes. "I can't do this."

****

_There you go for now. Sorry it's a bit short. And in the reviews of the last chapter, someone mentioned that wouldn't Nikki found out she had a heart defect to get into the Navy? Well, they do medical checks, yes, but obviously it wasn't picked up. I actually got the idea for this story because my boyfriend has just been told he has arrhythmia, which is another reason I have been finding this hard to write; it's very confronting. He competes a lot in motorcross and has had thousands of medical checks and it was never picked up until now. So I guess for this story, Nikki is one of those that slipped through the radar! And please forgive me for making her have it! _

_Let me know what you think please! Much appreciated._


	10. Chapter 10

_Here comes chapter 10... Dedicated to those of you who reviewed the last chapter; you know who you are._

_***_

_HMAS Hammersley, bridge_

"Sir, I got the mayday," said RO, holding the receiver away from his ear. "They are currently positioned to the north of us." Mike nodded.

"What was the problem?" he asked.

"I couldn't catch that; I just got their position," said RO.

"Okay, good work RO." Mike looked around the bridge. "So where's ET now?" he asked in annoyance. He had first lost his navigator, followed by the XO when she went searching and now ET had failed to return after he went looking for the both of them. Suddenly the bridge door swung open and the XO made her way up the stairs.

"Nice of you to join us X," said the CO sarcastically. Noticing the navigator wasn't behind her, he turned back to face her. "Where's Nav?"

"Sir, she's dealing with some things at the moment. I said I'd come up and fill in for her," replied Kate, trying not to disclose too many details. Mike frowned a little.

"Is everything alright?" he asked quietly. Kate pursed her lips slightly before heading to the navigation console. Mike took this as meaning that everything wasn't okay. But he knew that he needed Nav to help get them through the storm. He turned back to Kate. "X?" he asked. She turned around at hearing his voice.

"Sir," she responded.

"I need Nav on the bridge; there is a cyclone and we have to render assistance to a vessel in distress," he said. Kate looked at him for a minute before nodding. Mike sighed before reaching over to pick up the hand piece for the internal intercom. "Navigator, bridge at the rush." He slowly replaced the hand piece and looked back at Kate, who was staring at the radar.

Down in the ships' office, ET was still holding Nikki although she had stopped crying.

"Navigator, bridge at the rush," came Mike's voice over the intercom. Nikki sighed and went to stand up.

"You don't have to go," said ET. "I'll tell them you can't." But Nikki shook her head.

"It's my job," she replied. She looked at ET's worried face. "I'll be fine, honest." As he watched her wipe the remaining tears from her cheeks and leave, he couldn't help but smile. _Nothing could ever stop her from doing her job," _he thought before pulling himself off the floor and heading towards the bridge.

Nikki had just entered the bridge.

"Everything alright Nav?" asked the CO as she made her way over to his chair. She nodded.

"Yeah fine. You called me?" she replied. Mike could tell from her voice that she had been crying but didn't bring it up.

"Yeah Nav, we've received a mayday call from a vessel in need of our assistance. It's marked on the radar," said Mike, pointing at the radar screen. "But there's a cyclone heading our way so I need you to plot us the best course." Nikki instantly understood and set to work, swapping seats with Kate. ET arrived back on the bridge and watched his fiancé working, not quite understanding how she could still be so efficient at her job despite everything. About an hour and a half later, the vessel was within range and the boarding parties were preparing to go. It was dark which caused some of the crew to get a little excited.

"Night boarding's are always more fun," said Spider as he followed ET down the deck, grabbing the helmet that was handed to him.

"Which part is it that you like Spide?" asked ET with a grin. "The fact that there's more danger or that any potential ladies on board can't see your face and might actually ask you out?" Swain and Buffer couldn't help but grin at this comment.

"You're hilarious," said Spider sarcastically as he sulked. The guys laughed. The RHIB's were being lowered onto the water and were awaiting the signal to go. A few moments later, the RHIB's were powering across the water towards the motor cruiser.

"Board on my order," said X as the RHIB's neared the boat. The first RHIB pulled alongside the vessel and Kate gave the order to board. Swain and ET jumped aboard first, followed by Spider and Kate. The next RHIB, which contained Buffer, Bomber and Charge arrived a moment later.

"Charge, you and ET check the engines, we'll search for the crew," said Buffer. The group headed off in different directions of the ship, searching for any signs of the people on board after they did not respond to the greetings.

Back on the Hammersley, Mike was watching out the window although it was hard to see because it was dark.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, SITREP over," he said into the radio.

"This is X-Ray82. We're searching for people on board and Charge and ET are checking the engines."

"Roger, keep me informed, Charlie82 out," he replied.

"So they didn't say what the problem was?" questioned Nav unbelievingly. Mike looked over and nodded.

"We lost contact before we could get those details," he replied. Nav nodded slightly before glancing back out the window. It was another few minutes before there was any more contact between the Hammersley and the boarding party.

"Charlie82, this is X-Ray82, we've found the crew, over," said X over the radio. Mike picked up the handpiece and responded.

"What seems to be the problem X, over." The line was silent. "What's seems to be the problem X?" he replied. By now, Nav was watching him, wondering what was going on. And then Kate's voice came through the radio.

"Sir, we have 2 POB. One male, one female. The man is delirious and the woman is unconscious, I repeat the woman is unconscious, over." Mike looked over at Nikki who had worried eyes and was attempting to look out into the dark to catch a glimpse of the vessel.

"And evidence of drugs or substances on board, X?" replied Mike, still looking at his navigator out of the corner of his eye.

"Not that we've found sir. Spider and Buffer are doing a search of the vessel now," she replied. On the yacht, Swain was assessing the man who was completely out of it. Kate noticed Swain's looks and knew he had something on his mind. "What is it Swain?" Swain took a deep breath.

"It's the same as the Nav's mother; no obvious sign of injury, trauma. Nothing." Kate continued looking at the coxswain before readjusting her headset.

"Sir, there is something," she said quietly. On the Hammersley, Nikki looked up at Mike, wanting to know what X was talking about.

"Go ahead X," prompted Mike. The radio was silent for a few more moments before the X radioed back.

"Sir, there's no sign as to what happened to them. No bruising, trauma, injury." Mike looked over at the navigator who had let her head fall back against the chair, her eyes closed and the elbow that was resting on the armrest of her chair was leant on her forehead.

"We don't know enough yet Nav," he said quietly. Nikki let out a deep, short breath.

"Sir, it's a yacht far out at sea with a few people on board," she replied. "And the state that X says they are in sounds exactly... like my mum and her friends." Mike was going to say more before the radio blared again.

"Sir, Swain wants to bring them across to Hammersley ASAP," said Kate through the radio. Mike cast another quick glance at Nikki before raising the hand piece to his mouth again.

"Alright X. Tell Swain to get them prepped and we'll get them medical attention as soon as." Back on the yacht, Swain had heard this and had stood up, preparing to move the man and woman. ET entered the room having checked the engines with Charge.

"Ma'am, Charge says the engines are fine. No damage to report," said ET, not taking his eyes of the scene in front of him. Kate nodded.

"We've got to get them to a medical facility ASAP," she replied. Her head set buzzed again and Mike's voice came through.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82. X, we are going to have to put the vessel under tow. The feds want it left in the same condition, over."

"Sir, what about the cyclone?" asked Kate, knowing that the yacht couldn't go through a cyclone without damaging anything.

"We can't leave it here. It's a crime scene," replied Mike. "Prep the yacht for towing; we haven't got a choice X." Kate nodded to herself and noticed ET still watching the man and woman.

"Nikki," she asked the Leading Seaman. He nodded slowly.

"She doesn't need more to deal with right now," he said simply before leaving the room again to help Charge.

****

_That's chapter 10 done. Please let me know what you think; I will love you forever! And just to remind you all that I am a Beta Reader and I am looking for stories! I really do love doing it; so help make me happy!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Here's the next update. Sorry I took so long but I was lucky to get this update done. To all of those who have reviewed, you have made my day. Dedicated to __**101Bubblez101, navandetforever, 7, xXKaitlinXx, mouse01, ParkerGirl, HarrynTwilight4eva, kat priestley, ozziecozziegal and lilyfred130 **__for the kind reviews at various chapters of the story. You guys are the best!_

About 15 minutes later, the Hammersley's RHIB's were slowly making their way back across to Hammersley. Nikki followed Mike down the deck to await their arrival. She didn't really want to see what she was expecting but she knew that she had to. She took a few deep breaths, something Mike noticed.

"Are you sure you want to be here Nav?" he asked quietly. She looked up at the captain and nodded. Mike could see the determined look on the navigators face and knew that she would not change her mind, nor would she leave it there. He knew that she would push as hard as necessary to find out the truth behind her mother. It was just a part of who she was. The RHIB's were back up onto the Hammersley and the yacht couple were lifted off, Swain instructing the crew members carrying them to take them immediately to the wardroom The man had now too settled into an unconscious state.

"I need fleet medical on the line!" Swain called out RO, who was standing on the outer bridge and nodded in reply before heading back inside to make the call. As the man and woman were carried down the deck en route to the wardroom, Nikki watched them wordlessly. ET was slowly following behind them and stopped when he reached Nikki. The red internal lights from inside the Hammersley left her face with a red glow but it was still enough for ET to see her face clearly. In the red glow, he could make out the small, silvery-looking tear lines down her cheeks.

"I'm fine," said Nikki before ET could even talk. She looked deeper into his eyes.

"You are a really bad liar," was ET's reply. He smiled as he watched her give a small laugh, relieved that he had seen her smile.

"I will be fine though," she added. ET continued to look at her with deep eyes and nodded slowly, a small smile on his face. He knew that she was trying to be strong; Nikki wasn't the sort to let things get the better of her. He knew she would fight the grief on her quest for answers. And he knew that she wouldn't drop this; she would take any necessary steps to find the truth.

_2130 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

Although she had not wanted to leave, Mike had decided that enough was enough and that Nikki was to get some sleep; it was an order. Without much choice, Nikki had headed down the corridor to head to the cabin she shared with Kate. But en route, she got distracted at the wardroom. The door was fully open and she could see the man and the woman from the yacht laying separately, the man closer to the door, the woman against the far wall. _They just look like they are sleeping, _thought Nikki. She took a step inside the door and Swain turned around at hearing a person enter. Bomber did too.

"Are they going to be okay?" said Nikki quietly. Bomber looked at Swain who looked down at the man he was standing next to.

"I don't know," admitted Swain. "If we can get them to a hospital..." Nikki nodded.

"And it's like my mother?" Swain now looked at Bomber, knowing he had to tell her the truth but not wanting to at the same time.

"We can't be sure until tests are done but the signs are all there," he replied eventually. Nikki didn't say anything or move; she was frozen to the spot, staring at the woman who was still unconscious.

"Did the feds tell you how my mother died?" asked Nikki, still not being able to tear her eyes away from the woman.

"The boss did. It was poison, right?" said Swain quietly in reply. Nikki didn't move and gave Swain no indication of a reply. "Nav?" he prompted. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes but she shook them away before they had the chance to slip down her cheeks.

"Mum died because the poison made her have a cardiac arrest, because she had a heart condition that no one knew about," said Nikki matter-of-factly. She hated sounding like it but she knew that if she didn't keep up the walls she was trying to set up around her, she would again crumble. And she knew she had to be strong and try not to lose it in front of the crew again.

"I'm sorry ma'am," was Swain's reply.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault," replied Nikki, finally tearing her eyes away from the woman. "I better get back to the bridge." Swain nodded and watched her leave before turning back to his patients, wondering whether they would be able to get them to a hospital before it was too late. Swain was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. Turning around, he saw Buffer standing in the doorway.

"How they doing Swaino?" Swain shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"There breathing is better than it was but if they don't get to a hospital, I don't know," said Swain honestly. As he spoke the words to Buffer, he thought back to his conversation with Nikki just a few moments earlier. For some reason, and he couldn't pin why, the part about the heart condition and cardiac kept jumping back at him.

"Swaino?" called Buffer. Swain looked up and must have realised that he had drifted off.

"Sorry Buff, just thinking about something Nav said," said Swain, still deeply absorbed in his thoughts. Buffer looked back at Swain, wondering what he was on about.

_0130 hours, HMAS Hammersley home port_

It was early the next morning by the time Hammersley returned to port. The couple from the yacht were immediately take to hospital by ambulance and Swain was confident that they would be okay, given they had made it that far. Mike informed his crew that they had not been scheduled for any patrols as of yet so they were free to go home; he would call them when they were to go back out. Nikki was in the cabin that she shared with Kate when Bomber knocked on the door.

"We are heading home and Swain wants to know if you want a lift," she said as she poked her head around the door. Nikki looked up and nodded. Bomber was about to head back to the corridor when Nikki called out her name.

"Bomber?" Bomber heard her name and spun around almost instantly, reaching out to grip the door handle as she pulled herself back to the cabin where the voice had come from. "Are the couple from the yacht okay?"

"We can't be sure Nav; they have to be properly treated at the hospital. But Swain seems to think that they'll be okay," she replied with a smile, watching as Nikki nodded.

"Thanks Bomber," she replied quietly, forcing a small smile before turning back to her shared desk to retrieve her papers.

"Are you okay?" asked Bomber quietly, noting how tense the navigator was. Nikki looked up again at this comment.

"No, but I'm getting there," she replied, giving the chef a small smile. Nikki noticed as Bomber absently plucked at the bracelet on her right wrist. It was the bracelet that her mum had given her for her birthday a while ago. "Have you spoken to your mum?" This question took Bomber by surprise and she whipped her head up quickly.

"How did you know I was thinking..." Nikki just pointed at the bracelet and Bomber realised what she had been doing. "No," she admitted. "Every time I try to ring, I can't ever go through with it." Bomber looked up slightly to the ceiling. "I'm such a coward."

"I don't think you're a coward Bomber," replied Nikki. "It would be a hard thing to do after so many years." Bomber nodded her head in agreement. Nikki took a deep breath. "But the thing is Bomber, you never know what's around the corner, I certainly didn't." Bomber tilted her head.

"I'm sorry Nikki." She gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Don't be!" said Nikki, shaking her head as she smiled. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't waste time because you never know what might happen." Bomber looked thoughtful for a moment before she noticed her eyes stinging. _What on earth is wrong with me? _thought Bomber to herself. _I'm not the one who just lost her mother. _Nikki had noticed the tears developing in Bomber's eyes and stepped forward to hug the young sailor who she considered to be a close friend. Both girls had their own tears form in their eyes as they hugged. When Bomber pulled back, she smiled at the Lieutenant in front of her.

"Thank you," she said quietly but meaningfully. Nikki smiled.

"Come on, let's go home to my crazy family!"

****

_That's it for now. My friend and I decided to take an impromptu holiday and although I do have access to the internet, I didn't see myself having much time to sit down and write. But I did manage to write this! I'll try and update again soon. Please let me know what you think; your reviews always make my day and I can't thank you enough. _

_Emma x x_


	12. Chapter 12

_Here's the next chapter for you guys. I would just like to thank my best friend who is holidaying with me because she is the reason I have been able to update whilst we're away. She is adamant that she is not a Sea Patrol fan yet she's the one that has spent any free time in the hotel watching my Sea Patrol DVD's marathon style! So that has allowed me the time to write more! Thanks to all those who reviewed; you are officially my heroes _

_***_

"Thanks Swain!" said Bomber as she opened the back door to his car. Spider and ET also emerged from the backseat of the car whilst Nikki and Swain got out of the front. They were retrieving their bags from the boot of the sedan when the front light of the house next door turned on before two people emerged from the front door. Ruby wiggled through and ran to the crowd of sailors by the car.

"Hello, baby!" cooed Nikki as she reach down to pick up her beloved pup.

"You do realise it's two o'clock in the morning right?" said Ryan as he and Matt walked towards the fence line, obviously only just awake.

"That's the Navy for you, mate," replied Swain with a smile, activating the locks when the boot was shut. "I'll see you guys tomorrow." There was a chorus of 'night' and 'see you' as Swain walked towards his front door.

"Easy patrol?" asked Matt as he picked up his sisters' bag and the group began to head inside. ET looked across to Nikki, who was still intent in cuddling Ruby. She looked up from the little dog to reply.

"We found another yacht with what we think is the same thing as Mum," she replied. Neither Matt nor Ryan knew what to say but Matt managed to eventually speak up.

"Are they okay?"

"Yeah, we think they will be," replied Nikki.

"So that means it definitely can't have been an accident," said Ryan after a moments thought.

"If it is the same," nodded Nikki.

"What's the same?" asked a very sleepy Tamsin as she came out onto the back patio. She was wearing a dressing gown and her blonde hair was tied up messily. Matt stood up.

"Nothing, we'll talk about it in the morning. We should all get some sleep," he said, taking Tamsin's arm and pulling her back through the sliding door towards the bedroom. Nikki continued smoothing down the fur on Ruby's back until ET came and picked Ruby up, placing the sleeping dog on the mat in front of her kennel. He went back over to Nikki and pulled her up. Nikki groaned but allowed herself to be pulled to bed.

_0620 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Nikki awoke early after another sleepless night. Despite how tired she was, she couldn't manage to sleep, thoughts of heart conditions and poisons swirling around her head. She gently pulled ET's arm off her shoulder and got out of the bed quietly, trying not to wake him. She slipped on her silky dressing gown, not even bothering to tie it up and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her to head to the kitchen. Reaching in the dark for the switch, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw her brother with his head on the table.

"Oh jeez," said Nikki, placing a hand on her chest as her heart raced. "You could have put a light on or something." Matt looked up.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"You didn't. It's the product of Mum, work, baby and heart conditions," replied Nikki, walking to the fridge. Matt looked confused. "Sleepless nights," Nikki elaborated. Matt nodded and sighed. "So why are you up anyway?" she asked as she poured herself a glass of water.

"Couldn't sleep. Didn't want to wake up Tam," he said. Nikki smiled and sat down at one of the kitchen tables, one leg tucked underneath her. She placed a glass of water in front of her brother.

"I'm going to take an educated guess here; you're thinking about the heart thing?" Matt looked up at his sister.

"You're psychic now too?" Nikki smiled and giggles quietly.

"No, I'm just thinking about it too."

"I never once imagined my life like this," said Matt. "I can't get over how quickly everything has changed."

"You and me both," said Nikki, looking down at her hand, catching a glimpse of her engagement ring.

"I sound so selfish, don't I? Here I am, upset that I have a heart condition when you do too but you've got a baby to consider as well," said Matt, looking at his glass.

"You're not being selfish! It's not exactly something anyone wants to have to deal with," replied Nikki.

"Does make you realise things though, doesn't it?" said Matt. "You never know what's going to happen." Nikki smiled and nodded. She touched Matt's hand before standing up to go back to bed.

"Come on," she said with a smile, attempting to pull him up. "Go back to bed." Matt smiled to and heaved himself to his feet. Once he was standing, Nikki put her arms around him for a hug. Matt hugged her back tightly before she drew back and walked towards her bed.

_0845 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Despite having woken up early in the morning, Nikki had drifted back off to sleep and was still asleep a lot later than usual. She had just opened her eyes but hadn't even contemplated getting out of bed when there was a knock at the door. Bomber poked her head around.

"Morning," she said cheerfully.

"Mmm," replied Nikki, unable to comprehend and better words in her sleepy state. Bomber laughed.

"Here, it's Kate," said Bomber, holding out her own mobile phone. As Bomber walked over, Nikki struggled into an upward position before taking Bomber's phone.

"Have we been tasked?" asked Nikki as Bomber closed the door behind her.

"Good morning to you too," laughed Kate on the other end. "No, we haven't. Bomber and I are going to catch up for morning tea and we thought that maybe you, Tamsin and Sally might want to come." Nikki let out a bit of a yawn.

"Mmm, sure. Sounds good. Usual place?"

"Yeah. Can you ask Tamsin and Sally?" replied Kate.

"Yep," said Nikki, unable to say anymore in her sleep addled brain. She hung up the phone before plonking herself back down on the bed, rolling onto ET's side of the bed and trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep before she had to get up.

10 minutes later, Nikki had finally managed to drag herself out of bed and headed into the kitchen where it seemed everyone else was awake.

"Morning sleepy head!" said ET as she walked into the kitchen. Almost immediately she sunk into one of the chairs at the bench in between Bomber and Ryan. ET stood up and placed a kiss on her head as he went to put his plate in the dishwasher.

"Want some pancakes?" asked Tamsin as she leant on the bench opposite Nikki. "Now can you see why I love your brother?" Nikki scrunched up her face and shook her head.

"Be careful, Spider helped cooked them," added Bomber as she stood up to put her dishes in the dishwasher.

"I'm not that bad a cook!" protested Spider from his place next the coffee plunger. Bomber scoffed.

"Remember when you tried to cook muffins and instead of half a teaspoon of salt you used half a cup!" she recalled, poking him in the ribs as she walked past. The others in the kitchen turned around and laughed while Spider didn't know what to say.

"Well, I only made the coffee this morning," he said eventually, holding up a cup. "Anyone want some?"

"Tam you're coming to have morning tea with me, Kate, Sally and Bomber this morning," announced Nikki. Tamsin swallowed a mouthful of coffee and nodded. "And then when we get back, we are going to discuss Mum's funeral." Her brothers turned around to face her, both with small smiles on their faces. "It's time," she said, looking at the faces around her.

"Yeah," agreed Ryan.

"Well, I'm going to go and see Sally and see if she wants to come," said Nikki, hopping up from her chair and exiting through the sliding door before anyone could protest.

"Does she realise she just left in her dressing gown?" asked Ryan as he looked at where his sister had been sitting. ET laughed.

"It's normal, trust me."

"It's good to see her being more like her old self," added Matt, placing a fresh plate of pancakes on the bench. "Maybe she is ready to move on."

_****_

_That's the next chapter done. If my friend keeps watching Sea Patrol like she is then you might get an update sooner than you think!_

_The next few chapters will be a bit like the last one; I am just establishing characters and how they deal with certain things. So if you're expecting action like explosions and gun fire, you'll be a bit disappointed! Please do let me know what you think, I really appreciate it. _


	13. Chapter 13

_Wow! Two updates in one day! I struggle to get one done in a week when I'm at home! So I really, really would like to thank my friend. And she keeps asking me all the questions about Sea Patrol while it's on and it's giving me all these ideas! It's amazing! My writers block has gone for now... Let's hope I didn't just jinx it..._

Later that morning, he girls were seated around a table at a restaurant close to the port. Kate was looking out the window towards the sea.

"Don't you think it's funny that we like to spend our time off the boat near the port?" asked Kate with a smile.

"We do, huh?" agreed Bomber. Their conversation was cut off by a waiter bringing them their food. It was a few minutes before more was said; the only sound was cutlery scraping plates.

"When are you going home?" Kate asked Tamsin. Tamsin finished chewing on a piece of lettuce before answering.

"I don't know really. Definitely not until after the funeral," she replied, picking up her juice and taking a sip. "But I'm not in any hurry to get back; it's been nice spending some time up here and away from work."

"I did tell you working for my family's company would be like that," said Nikki with a laugh.

"No, it's great. I love it, I really do. And it's something I'm good at," she replied, picking up a chip with her fork. "It's just nice to have a break away from it, although it isn't the best way to have gotten a holiday." There was more silence at the table.

"So, how long do you reckon it will be before we get called back out?" piped up Bomber. Kate scoffed.

"Probably not very long at all, knowing out luck," she replied.

"Well, I need to start organising Mum's funeral," said Nikki, without any hint of tears.

"How long do you reckon you'll be in Sydney?" asked Sally before placing a fork with fettuccini in her mouth.

"Depends I guess. But I'll have to organise leave. I'll go this afternoon after I organise things with my brothers," replied Nikki, placing her knife and fork down and picking up her water and taking a sip. "But there is something else I want to talk to you about," she continued. "Well two things actually." She looked around to be greeted with expectant faces.

"Anytime you'd like to continue," said Bomber impatiently. Nikki smiled.

"Okay, well first off..." she took a breath. "I'm pregnant!" There were gasps around the table.

"You're not!" exclaimed Bomber, her mouth the widest it had ever been before.

"I think you'll find I am," laughed Nikki, taking in the looks on the faces around her. Tamsin and Kate were just smiling, having already known the news.

"That's fantastic news, it really is!" said Sally, standing up and moving around the table to give her friend a hug. Nikki laughed and hugged her back, then hugged Bomber who was waiting too.

"How long have you known?" asked Bomber once the noise had died down slightly.

"A few days ago, just after Mum died," replied Nikki. The others' faces turned to sympathetic ones.

"That must have been hard," said Sally. Nikki nodded.

"It was. You should have seen me, I was a mess!" admitted Nikki.

"Are you happy about it now?" asked Kate, still not quite knowing the answer herself. Nikki thought for a moment then nodded.

"Yeah. Yeah I think I am," she smiled. "I'll admit I was devastated at first; I just didn't want to know about it when I had just lost Mum. But I've realised now that this is a really good thing and something that my Mum had always wanted." The girls smiled.

"What does Josh think about it?" asked Sally. Nikki giggled.

"He was thrilled. You should have seen how long it took him to convince me to change my mind," said Nikki. "You should see him; he's going to make a wonderful dad."

"You're going all mushy on us!" teased Tamsin.

"Stop teasing me," bit back Nikki with a laugh.

"Trust me Nikki, I was the same. Next you'll be crying at the sight of just about anything!" added Sally. Nikki scrunched up her face.

"Oh great, something to look forward too."

"So what was the other thing?" asked Bomber curiously, remembering that Nikki had mentioned two things. Nikki took a deep breath.

"When Mum died, the autopsy picked up something that we didn't know about before." She was met with confused glances from Sally and Bomber.

"Like what?" asked Bomber hesitantly.

"Well... Mum didn't know it but she had a heart condition called arrhythmia," continued Nikki. Bomber's face froze while Sally digested what she had just said. Kate and Tamsin just watched Nikki intently.

"A heart condition?" repeated Sally slowly, something coming to her mind. "Aren't some heart conditions..."

"Hereditary?" finished Nikki. "Yeah. And arrhythmia is one of them." Bomber had by now worked out what Sally was thinking and was instantly worried.

"Wait, but if..."

"I've got it as well," interrupted Nikki. "And so has Matt." Sally and Bomber's faces both dropped. Tamsin and Kate both took deep breaths. Nikki was just surprised by the fact that she hadn't broken down in sobs at saying it out loud again; she had every other time she had spoken about it.

"When did you find this out?" said Bomber eventually, still shocked by her friends' revelation.

"A couple of days ago, just after I found out I was pregnant."

"Like you needed anything else to deal with," said Kate softly, looking down at her plate.

"And we won't know if the baby has got it until it's born," added Nikki, again managing to keep up the tough act. Bomber was a bit shocked at how okay Nikki seemed to be with everything.

"That's a lot in a few days," she said. Nikki nodded.

"Tell me about it," she said with a sigh. She was interrupted by her mobile and excused herself to answer it. Caller ID told her it was Ryan.

"Hey Ryan."

"Hi, just wondering when you were getting back," he said through the phone.

"Don't worry, I said I would make a start with the funeral arrangements today," she replied, knowing that was the real reason behind his call.

"That wasn't... Oh fine, you got me," he replied, hating how his sister could always see the truth, even over the phone.

"I should be home soon," she answered his question. "Make sure Dad, Cameron and Dan are there and I'll be there soon." She hung up and made her way back over to the table.

"I have to go soon. I promised my brothers I'd help them with arrangements for the funeral later," she told the girls.

"That's fine, promised Spider I'd go help him choose a present for his Mum later anyway," said Bomber. "Otherwise who'd know what she'd end up with." Kate laughed.

"Let's just hope he doesn't get a hold of your knives again for it," added Kate, thinking back to the time when Spider had used one of Bomber's knives for a similar thing, resulting in a cut tendon and a dash to the emergency ward.

"He's such an idiot," Bomber muttered as the group collected their bags before farewelling each other and heading off in separate directions. Nikki and Tamsin headed for the car park.

"How does that feel?" asked Tamsin as she opened the passenger door to Nikki's car. Nikki let out a big breath.

"It feels good," she smiled, opening the drivers' door and climbing in.

_1335, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

"Mum would have wanted something classy," said Nikki as she sat on her back patio, her brothers sitting in chairs around her. Dan nodded.

"Mum always was one for big and classy," he agreed.

"And you're definite you'll actually be able to get the time off to come?" Cameron asked Nikki, earning him a glare. The other Caetano boys noticed and looked at each other. Cameron and Nikki had always had their differences. Cameron had never really understood Nikki's love of the Navy. He had become the corporate lawyer with the family business and couldn't understand why she hadn't joined her brothers and parents in the business. While they were okay together in the short term, bigger decisions and long periods of time together were enough to show their differences.

"Yes I'm sure," said Nikki bitterly to her oldest brother. "You sure you can leave the beloved clients long enough to care?"

"Alright you two just stop it!" declared Matt. "We don't really need you two jumping down each other's throats at the moment." Nikki cast one more glare in her brother's direction before turning her attention back to the arrangements.

"And you're sure Dad wants to leave it up to us?" asked Nikki. Harry had told his children that he would leave it up to them. Nikki had a feeling that he couldn't bring himself to plan his wife's funeral and she could understand that.

"That's what he said," said Dan. Nikki nodded.

"Well that seems to be about everything," said Ryan, replacing the papers he was holding in his hand on the outdoor table.

"We'll sort out the rest when we get back to Sydney," added Dan.

"When are you guys going back?" asked Nikki. She was actually enjoying the time with her family that was so rare. She was going to miss them.

"I'm going back tomorrow," replied Cameron. Nikki knew that he would want to get back to his job; he was obsessed.

"I'm going back with Dad the day after," replied Dan. "Don't know about the others."

"I'm thinking I'm going to wait a few more days and go down with you Nik," replied Ryan. "I'm enjoying the break from the suits." Matt and Dan both laughed.

"Yeah me too," agreed Matt. "And Tam is really enjoying being up here." Nikki nodded, relieved that she would still have a few more days with at least a couple of her family. Whilst she had always been close to her family, since her Mother's death, she had really realised the importance of family. _I'm going to miss them, _she thought. _At least I've got the Hammersley as my second family._

_****_

_There's that chapter done. Again, not much action. Like I said with the previous chapter, I just want to sort out some of the smaller things like the family stuff before I go back into the poison thing. Hope you guys don't mind. Please let me know what you think. I really love getting reviews. And I'll try and update again very soon. I'm surprising myself by updating at the moment; the words just won't stop coming! So much for not thinking I'd be updating while I'm away. _

_Emma x x_


	14. Chapter 14

_Another update! It's official; I am on a role! For me anyway. My friend is still inspiring me and this is the result. We arrived in Melbourne this morning and when we checked into our hotel a little later, what did she do? She sat down and watched Sea Patrol! I'm not kidding! She is seriously hooked... Please, please let me know what you think. I love hearing your comments. _

_Thanks to those of you who commented, you really are the best_

_****_

_1400 hours, Swain and Sally's house_

Sally had just returned from her outing with the girls, having done some shopping afterwards. She entered the door and walked into the kitchen, throwing her keys down on the bench and going to get a glass of water. She took a sip and then leaned on the bench, Nikki's news still sinking in.

"Sal, are you alright?" asked Swain as he entered his kitchen to find his wife leaning on the bench.

"Sort of," she replied.

"You don't look it," said Swain, making his way closer to the bench and rubbing her back. "What's wrong?" Sally sniffed.

"Nikki has a heart condition," she said, looking into his eyes. Swain could see the tears pooled up in her chocolate brown eyes and pulled her into a hug, thinking about his thoughts after his conversation with Nav the previous day.

"She'll be okay," he said into her hair. "She will."

_4 Days Later  
1030 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Four days later, ET and Nikki were heading to Sydney along with Ryan, Matt and Tamsin for the funeral. Spider brought a suitcase out from inside the house and put it in the boot of Nikki's car. Swain and Sally came over, with little Chloe just behind them.

"Hey Spider," said Sally cheerfully. Spider pulled his head out of the boot as he heard his nickname, hitting his head on the boot.

"Ow," he said rubbing his head. Swain burst out laughing but Chloe broke their attention away when she squealed.

"Uncie Josh!" ET laughed and put the bag he was carrying down on the ground, bending down to pick up the little girl.

"Hey Chlo, how are you?" he asked.

"Are you leaving?" said Chloe tearfully as she spotted the bag on the ground. ET smiled at the little girl.

"Just for a few days. Auntie Nikki and I are going to visit her family in Sydney," he replied, putting the little girl back on the ground and bending down to her level. Chloe sniffed and nodded. But then a look of horror crossed over her face.

"But who's going to look after Ruby?" she asked. ET laughed.

"Do you think you could help Spider and Bomber look after her for us?" asked ET, smiling at the little girl. Chloe gave him a big smile before running back over to her parents.

"Mummy! Unclie Josh says that I have to look after Ruby while they are away!" Swain and Sally laughed as their daughter again bounded off towards the backyard as ET walked over to join them.

"How long to you guys leave?" asked Swain.

"Soon, once the girls finally get ready," replied ET, raising his eyebrows.

"How is Nikki?" asked Sally.

"She says she's alright. I don't know though," admitted ET. At that moment, the woman in question appeared from inside the house carrying her handbag.

"Hey guys," she greeted Swain and Sally. "Hammersley hasn't been tasked?" Swain smirked.

"We only got back from the last patrol a few hours ago Nikki, give them a chance," replied Swain. Nikki agreed.

"Are you ready to go?" Nikki asked ET. He nodded. Nikki reached over to hug Sally.

"Good luck," Sally whispered in her ear. Nikki pulled back and smiled gratefully before hugging Swain. Ryan and Matt exited the house, each carrying a bag to load into the car.

"Oh, my sunglasses!" exclaimed Nikki suddenly, pulling away from ET to rush back into the house. ET shook his head before spotting a figure crossing the road.

"Morning X!" he called out.

"Morning," she replied. "You guys off?" ET nodded. Tamsin came up towards the car, her long blonde hair almost straight save for a few odd curls at the bottom. "Where's Nikki?" asked Kate, noticing she wasn't with the group.

"She was in a panic over her sunglasses," replied Tamsin, pulling off her own sunnies and placing them on top of her head, a few pieces of hair being caught up underneath them.

"Come on Nik!" Ryan called out in the direction of the house. A moment later, she hurried back out of the house, sunglasses in hand.

"Calm down! Lucky I did forget my sunglasses otherwise you would have forgotten this," she told ET, handing him his mobile. He shook his head slowly with a smile.

"Alright, come on. We better go if we don't want to miss our plane," he said, closing the boot. Nikki was standing next to Bomber, patting Ruby who was in Bomber's arms. She noticed Kate and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry but we really do need to go," said ET, not wanting to break the moment. Nikki pulled back and smiled at Kate before turning to hop in the car.

"Hey, who said I'm driving?" teased Nikki as she watched ET about to hop into the passenger side.

"Well, it is _your _car," replied ET.

"But I don't feel like driving," she said, tossing over her keys. "So you can." ET rolled his eyes before standing up and walking around the front of the car and climbing in. Nikki closed her door and pressed the window button. Tamsin, who was sitting in the middle of the back seat, leant over and did the same to Matt's window.

"See you guys!" she called out to Kate, Swain, Sally, Chloe, Spider, Bomber and Ruby as they stood together on the driveway.

"Look after my baby," added Nikki as the car backed slowly out of the driveway. The people on the driveway turned to look at the wiggling bundle of fur in Bomber's arms as the car drove off down the road.

_1130 hours, Cairns Airport_

Nikki, Tamsin and Ryan waited with their luggage in the lounge of the airport while ET and Matt went to find some coffee.

"So how long are you staying in Sydney?" Ryan asked his sister. She shrugged her shoulders.

"We've got a week and a half shore leave so we'll see," replied Nikki. ET and Matt returned and handed out coffee cups. "Juice?" said Nikki, looking at the bottle in her hand.

"You can't have coffee," ET reminded her. Nikki scowled and sank back in her chair.

"Ha ha. Sucks to be you," teased Tam, earning her a playful punch in the arm, courtesy of Nikki. She took a sip of the coffee in her hands. "Oh, on second thoughts, you're not missing out on much; this coffee's shocking!"

"It's an airport, what do you expect?" replied Matt, taking a seat next to his girlfriend. But no sooner had he sat down when an announcement came overhead.

"Qantas Flight 719, Cairns to Sydney, please make your way to the check in desks." Slowly the group got up and dragged their luggage to the check in desk to be processed.

A little while later, the group were upstairs in the seating area, waiting to board their flight.

"Are you staying with Dad?" Ryan asked ET and Nikki. Nikki swallowed the sip of juice she had in her mouth whilst shaking her head.

"No, we figured he'd have heaps of people over so we booked a hotel."

"You could have stayed with us," said Matt, putting his arm around Tamsin's shoulder.

"Or me," added Ryan. The intercom overhead blared again.

"Qantas Flight 719 to Sydney, please make your way to gateway 2 to board your flight."

"That would be us," said Matt as he stood, pulling Tamsin up with him. Nikki stood too and the group headed over to get their tickets processed before making their way down the hall and onto the plane. The flight attendants pointed towards their seats. Ryan, Josh and Nikki were seated on the left whilst Matt and Tamsin were seated opposite them. Whilst the safety demos were being held, Nikki barely watched; she had been on enough flights to know how to buckle her seatbelt and find the safety gear! Ryan held out a packet of gummy worms but Nikki shook her head. The plane did laps of the runway before taking off. Nikki could feel her ears popping and realised she should have the lollies. Sitting in the aisle seat, she leant back onto Josh, who was talking to Ryan, and faced Tamsin. Tamsin was readjusting her pillow on Matt's shoulder before leaning back and facing her friend opposite her.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Fine, I'm good with flying remember." Tamsin raised her eyebrows at her friend. "Okay, I'm kind of dreading this trip," Nikki admitted finally. "It's silly really, it's been nearly two weeks."

"No one expects you to be okay about. Funerals aren't meant to make you feel good," replied Tamsin, shifting herself slightly to make herself more comfortable. "And if you were okay, then I think there'd be something wrong with you." Nikki laughed. The flight attendants brought down the food trolleys for lunch. Nikki decided against food but as she watched ET eat his chicken stir fry, she quickly stole a piece of his chicken.

"Hey! That's mine, get your own!" he exclaimed, but smiled the entire time.

"Hey!" replied Nikki, holding up her arms and indicating her belly. ET rolled his eyes and shook his head. Nikki leant back against him and closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep, even thought it was only early afternoon. ET smiled and kissed the top of her head before putting his headphones back on and watching the movie.

****

_There's that chapter done. Sort of another filler chapter. Given my friend and my need to keep updating this, you might find you get an update very soon. Well, fingers crossed anyway. Please review this and help make my day. I really appreciate it._


	15. Chapter 15

_I've updated again! 4 updates in three days, that's got to be a record for me! I'm having so much fun writing this at the moment, it's like the writing just won't stop! Believe it or not, my friend is still watching Sea Patrol in between shopping and going out so I'm still getting writing done! Anyway, it's 4.00am and I can't sleep so I'm hoping if I get this down, I'll be able to get some finally! Please let me know what you think. I honestly want to hear from you._

_1630 hours, Aeroplane_

"Just wanted to let you know that we will be coming in to land soon, just waiting for the runway to clear," said the pilot over the radio. ET looked down at Nikki, who was asleep on his shoulder, her long, dark hair falling delicately over her shoulders.

"Hey Bub, we're about to land," he whispered into her ear, brushing a few strands of hair off her face. Nikki made no indications of moving. "Come on, wake up," he prompted again, shaking her gently. Nikki groaned before slowly opening her eyes.

"Sleep," was her only reply as her eyes closed again. Matt couldn't help but laugh as he watched his sisters' fiancé trying to wake up his sister. Tamsin, who had been watching the movie, noticed her boyfriend laughing and pulled off her headset, looking at him in wonder. He pointed at his sister and Tamsin turned around and giggled. Meanwhile, ET was still attempting to wake his sleeping fiancé.

"Here mate, this will work," said Ryan with a smile. ET turned to his side to see Ryan lean over more so his sister could hear his words.

"Nicole Marie," he cooed in a super sweet voice. At this, Nikki's eyes opened up wide and then glared in her brothers' direction, sitting up slowly.

"I hate you," was her bitter reply as she rubbed her eyes. She couldn't stand it when people called her by her full name. Matt and Tamsin were still giggling as they watched across the aisle. ET closed his fold-up table and wrapped up his headset as the plane began to lower.

Twenty minutes later, the passengers on the plane were standing and slowly making their way down the aisle to leave the plane. Nikki was still sleepy as she walked behind Tamsin down the aisle.

"I cannot every remember being this tired on a plane before," she muttered as she went down the steps and into the hallway to enter the inside of the airport.

"Babies do that to you, hun," Tamsin told her as she glanced over her shoulder to make sure the others were still following.

"Mmm, well aren't I lucky then," she added, letting her eyes open and close slowly. "All I want is a nice, comfy bed."

"You can when we get to the hotel," replied ET gently guiding her with one arm on her shoulder. The group made their way over to the luggage collection area and waited for their bags. After a small problem locating Ryan's suitcase which was soon fixed, the group headed to the long-term car park where they then loaded their luggage into the boot of Matt's car before climbing in. Nikki had barely sat down when she leant on ET's shoulder and closed her eyes. As he exited the car park, Matt looked into his rear-view mirror and laughed.

"You want me to take you two straight to the hotel Josh?" Matt asked him.

"No," said Nikki for him, opening her eyes. "I want to go see Dad."

_1800 hours, Nikki's parents house_

The journey to her parents' house in Wollongong took longer than it should have due to the amount of traffic on the freeways so Nikki was relieved when her brother's car pulled into the driveway and she could open the door and stretch her legs. She felt like she had been sitting down all day and was getting restless! The group had barely made it out of the car when one of the large double doors opened and Harry Caetano walked out.

"Hey Dad," said Nikki, hugging her father tightly.

"It's good to see you darling," he said with a smile, looking at his only daughter.

"You saw me three days ago, Dad," laughed Nikki, pulling back from him.

"I know. Doesn't mean I can't miss you," he smiled. "Come on, come inside." He ushered the group into the house and the moment Nikki hit the hallway, her head was instantly filled with memories. Family photos lined the hallways and Nikki looked at each of them, looking as her mother smiled in each one. ET stopped behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She smiled, feeling the warmth of his hand and reaching up to her shoulder to place her own hand on top. Again she looked up at the photos, spotting the same photo she had been looking at every day since her Mum had died; the one of her, her Mum and Tamsin at Dan's 28th birthday. _This is going to be a lot harder than I ever imagined, _Nikki thought to herself as she walked down the hallway to join her family in the living room.

_2200 hours, Hotel_

Later that night, after Matt and Tamsin had dropped them at the hotel on their way home, ET and Nikki were getting ready for bed. Nikki got into her pyjamas slowly, a part of her not wanting to go to sleep because it would mean that when she woke up, she would have to bury her mother. And that was something she was never going to be ready for. She climbed into bed and pulled the sheets up to her chin, snuggling in against the plush surface. A few minutes later, ET entered the bedroom from the bathroom and could see Nikki already in bed, her eyes closed. But he doubted she was actually asleep. He climbed into bed and put his arms around her, holding her tight. Resisting the urge to just snuggle deeper into his warm embrace and go to sleep, Nikki turned around to face ET.

"I don't want to go tomorrow," she confessed, looking into his blue eyes as tears started to pool in her own. ET smiled sympathetically before pulling her closer.

"I know," he replied. "But you have to." Nikki sniffed.

"It's not fair," she replied, rolling back over again, ET replacing his arms around her again.

"No, it's not," he agreed. "But do you really think your Mum would want you to be unhappy for the rest of your life?" As ET said these words, Lucia's final words replayed in his mind.

"_Please just, tell her that I'm proud of her and just want her to be happy. And that I love her."_

"_I want you to marry her and make her happy. Look after my little girl for me."_

"I know but I just can't help but think negatively. Mum missed out on so much; watching her children get married, seeing her grandchildren grow up. It's not right."

"Try and get some sleep Bub," he told her, hoping that she'd fall asleep soon so that she would be at least slightly more upright tomorrow. She was going to need all her strength to get through as it is.

"Mmm," was Nikki's only reply as she drifted off to sleep, tiredness getting the better of her.

_0745 hours, Hotel_

ET crept back into the bedroom the next morning to find Nikki still asleep. He smiled as he watched her peaceful face and didn't want to disturb her but another glance at the clock told him he had to. He was about to move a strand of hair out of her face when her eyes flickered open.

"Morning gorgeous. I didn't have to wake you," he smiled.

"Mmm," Nikki smiled, unable to comprehend any better words in her sleep muddled brain. She eyed the tray on the bedside table. "You cooked breakfast?"

"Hey! I can cook you know!" he replied with a laugh. "But as much as I'd like to say yes, room service really is a good service." Nikki smiled and shook her head, pulling herself more upright. ET watched her closely as she sipped a cup of tea. "You ready for today?"

"I don't think I'll ever be ready for something like this. But I'm okay," she replied, putting on a brave face.

"Just remember, everyone's here for you. You don't need to do it all on your own," added ET, looking deeply into her eyes. _God, I love him,_ thought Nikki, leaning forward to kiss him.

_0830 hours, Nikki's parents house_

The taxi ET and Nikki were in pulled up at the house right in front of Matt and Tamsin. ET paid the driver before hopping out of the car. Tamsin got out of the passenger door of Matt's car, wearing a dressy suit outfit, her blonde hair hanging freely with a few curls at the bottom and dark sunglasses.

"Hey," she whispered to Nikki, pulling her friend into a tight hug. "How are you feeling this morning?"

"No morning sickness so I guess that's a plus," replied Nikki, forcing a small smile. The group walked up to the house before heading into the lounge room where Nikki's father and other brothers already were, dressed in suits. Nikki didn't say anything, she just walked over and hugged her dad tightly.

"We're going to be okay Dad," she whispered into his ear as she hugged him, trying to be positive. Despite his disheartened face, Harry managed a smile.

"I know." He took a deep breath. "You ready?"

_Chapter 15 done! I'm feeling really proud of myself; not at the story but at how much writing I'm doing, whilst on holidays! I had actually planned the funeral to be a part of this chapter but it just didn't happen; probably go a bit carried away. So that parts up next... Might have that up by later today. Anyway, like I said before, make my day and leave your thoughts... Anyway, let's see if I can sleep now!_


	16. Chapter 16

_Now this is going to be the hardest part. Funerals are never fun and I have to think up speeches for it! So, please forgive me if this chapters a little, bad! Also, a warning. There is more descriptions than dialogue this chapter because I felt it suited it better. I hope you enjoy it._

_0900 hours_

Nikki arrived with her family in a chauffeur driven car to be faced with a large crowd of people. _Wow,I forgot Mum had so many friends, _thought Nikki to herself. She felt an arm around her shoulder and looked up to see ET standing beside her.

"You'll be okay, just keep breathing," he whispered, causing her to laugh nervously. She had never been afraid of crowds or talking with large amounts of people. But this was hard. She looked up at ET and smiled. Before the coffin arrived, Nikki was inundated with people giving her and her family their condolences. Nikki could not remember ever being kissed on the cheek so many times and she had been to her fair share of large gatherings! A short time later, the hearse arrived and Nikki turned away before she could see anything. The thought of it just made her sick. ET looked down at her, huddle in his arms and wanted to stay with her but he had to leave; he was one of the pall bearers. Nikki understood as he slipped away and Tamsin moved over, rubbing Nikki's shoulders. As the coffin was carried through by ET, Harry and Nikki's four brothers, the crowd of mourners slowly made their way into the church.

"We are here today, to say goodbye to a very special lady, who touched our hearts. A wife, a mother, and a soon to be grandmother taken from us far too soon. Lucia Caetano." The priest took a step to the side as Matt got up to say the first speech.

"I've been trying to work out what to say for days now; something to truthfully describe Mum in the way that she should be," said Matt, his words slow as he collected himself. "But I can't." He paused. "Because nothing I say will ever do justice to the person Mum was." As Matt continued, Nikki took a deep, shaky breath and could feel fresh tears welling in her eyes. Seated on her right, ET glanced sideways after he noticed this, as did Tamsin who was seated on Nikki's left. They both took one of her hands and held onto them as Matt continued.

"Mum was a truly amazing person who lived her life to the fullest. And she will truly missed not just to those hear today, but to everyone who ever had the pleasure of ever meeting her." Matt walked slowly back to his seat, seeing his sister on the way down. As he sat down, he reached over Tamsin and squeezed her hand.

The rest of the service passed in a blur, with more family and friends getting up to speak. Finally, much to Nikki's disappointment, it came to her turn. She walked slowly to the podium, not quite knowing what she was going to say. Matt was right; what words could be said to describe Mum properly?

"I'm still trying to understand why we are here today. Because none us should be," Nikki started, wiping away a tear and sniffing. "And while we try to... to comprehend the reason that... the reason that we're here, we have to remember that Mum wouldn't want us to spend the rest of our lives dwelling on this tragedy." Nikki again stopped, attempting to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat. ET glanced up at Nikki and then looked at Tamsin. She glanced back at him, clearly worried that Nikki wasn't going to be able to make it through her eulogy. But Nikki kept going.

"Mum was an amazing person, an inspiration. And I don't know how I'm going to live without her. But I know that I have to try because if Mum was here, she'd kill me for not trying harder." The room filled with a small laugh. "She wasn't just my Mum; she was one of my best friends. She used to be able to fix anything; though sometimes strange, she seemed to be able to make even the worst situation better. I remember about a year ago when I was injured in the Navy and Mum's solution for my recovery; shopping." Again the crowd laughed. Even Nikki managed a smile. "But what hurts the most is that Mum never got two of her biggest wishes; to see her children marry and become a grandmother. And that hurts." She brushed away a few more tears. "But we'll keep her memory alive so that when those days arrive, she'll be with us. She will never be forgotten and she will live on in our hearts for the rest of our lives as we move on. .We just have to remember that wherever we are, whatever we are doing, Mum will always be with us." Nikki took a deep breath and walked slowly towards the coffin. She gently placed her hand on the shiny black surface.

"Goodbye Mum," she said, her voice choked. Nikki reached for a red rose, her Mum's favourite, and placed it on the coffin, tears again falling freely.

A little while later, the service was just about finished. The crowd filed out of the church in two lines and the pall bearers brought the coffin down the middle to the song "Iris." As she watched the coffin move down the line, she rested her head on Tamsin's shoulder. A few minutes later, ET, Nikki's brothers and father rejoined Nikki and Tamsin and stood near the front of the church. Harry, Nikki and Tamsin held cream boxes with a white ribbon. ET stood slightly behind Nikki and Matt was the same behind Tamsin. The three opened the box to release butterflies into the sky. Nikki gently put her hand in to release a butterfly from the box and smiled; butterflies had been a shared love between her and Lucia. ET reached into the box and release one two. Meanwhile, Ryan, Dan and Cameron release hundreds of shiny white, pink and blue balloons, filling the sky. Everyone watched as the butterflies flew off, as did the balloons and into the distance. Nikki felt a touch on her shoulder. She turned to see ET gently lift a butterfly off her the shoulder of her suit jacket and held it in front of her. She smiled before the butterfly flew off, a final symbol of her mother.

_1130 hours, Sydney Harbour_

For the reception, the family had decided on a cruise around the harbour. Lucia had always loved being out on the ferries having dinner with people on classy boats. It was just a part of her. Harry, Nikki, her brothers, ET and Tamsin sat at a large table up the front of the rest of the guests at the reception, enjoying a classy meal just like Lucia loved.

"I'm really proud of you," ET whispered into her ear as she sipped orange juice from a champagne glass. She turned to smile at him.

"I had no idea what to say," admitted Nikki. "I had a bit of an idea and then I got up there and changed my mind completely." ET smiled.

"You did really well. You're Mum would be proud of you too." She looked into his eyes again, feeling the tears come again. ET noticed and took the glass out of her hands and replaced it on the table, drawing her into a hug. She pulled back a minute later.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I could never have done this without you." ET smiled before kissing her softly. When ET stood up a few minutes later to go and get another drink, Tamsin leant over from her seat.

"You okay?" she replied, a few of her blonde locks falling over her shoulder. Nikki took a deep breath and then nodded.

"Yeah, I am. Mum would want me to move on," she replied, smiling slightly. Tamsin smiled too and pulled her friend in for a hug.

"Time to focus on new things, huh?" Tamsin said. Nikki nodded but thought about those words. She would focus on new things. She wanted to know what happened to her mother.

_That's chapter 16 done and I have to say I'm relieved. The funeral is probably one of the hardest parts to this story I have written so it's nice to have it out of the way so I can go back to writing the better chapters! _

_I know this chapter is shorter, just felt like it was a good place to end. And I didn't want to drag the funeral part out too much. _

_Sorry there is less dialogue in this; I just felt that descriptions made this chapter seem more fitting. Please, please let me know what you think. I really want to hear from you. I'll try and update again soon, but I've got a pretty busy day tomorrow so I'm not sure when. Although, my friend is still watching Sea Patrol in her spare time so you never know, it might be sooner than you think..._


	17. Chapter 17

_Chapter 17 is here! It's jumped a few days forward; hope it isn't too confusing. Mainly just a family orientated chapter, just wanted a bit of family time before I get back into the serious stuff._

_My "I'm not hooked" Sea Patrol friend is still watching it in her free time. Hey, I don't mind; it's allowing me to watch Sea Patrol and keep writing so who's complaining? She's probably going to spend the entirety of her free time on this holiday watching it! Thank you so much to those of you who have been reviewing. I love you guys._

_5 days later  
0930 hours, Nikki's parents' house_

"Are you sure you have to go back today?" asked Ryan as leant over to pick up a pancake. Nikki, ET, Ryan, Dan, and Cameron were eating breakfast on the decking outside.

"Got to get back to work sometime," replied Nikki with a smile. She was going to miss her family.

"Of course, work," said Cameron coldly. Nikki looked towards him and glared.

"You can hardly talk," she bit back.

"Alright, alright!" butted in Dan, holding up his hands. "Do you guys think you could possibly go a few days without attempting to kill each other?" Nikki leant forward to reach for her orange juice whilst shaking her head. Cameron glanced at his watch.

"Well I do have to go. Someone in this family has to go and keep the business up and running," he said coldly, standing up to leave. "Have a good trip Nikki. See you Josh." Without another glance, he walked off.

"See you," called out ET.

"Just forget him. He's always been like that," said Nikki, shaking her head. She still quite didn't understand why she had never gotten on with her brother.

"Morning all!" greeted Matt as he and Tamsin came around the side of the house.

"What's wrong with Cameron?" asked Tamsin, glancing slightly over her shoulder as she took up a spare seat near Nikki.

"Three guesses," replied Dan. Matt and Tamsin both automatically looked at Nikki, causing ET to laugh.

"What? He starts it," said Nikki defensively, taking another sip of orange juice. Matt shook his head and sat down.

"So you're going home tonight?" asked Matt. ET nodded.

"I'm going to miss seeing you guys. I've spent a lot of the last few weeks with you so it will be strange going back to not catching up all the time," added Nikki. Everyone agreed.

"How much longer are you going to be working for Nik?" Ryan asked, pulling a face from the lemon on the pancake he had just eaten.

"Not exactly sure. Depends how long it takes the Hammersley to find a replacement but probably a month more there, then I'll move to a shore posting."

"You are going to get so bored," said Tamsin, helping herself to a pancake.

"Thanks for pointing out the obvious," replied Nikki sarcastically.

"You can come and work with us," said Dan. Nikki raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm not that desperate. Spending all day in suits, no thanks." She shook her head.

"It's not that bad!" replied Ryan. "You get to travel."

"I travel with the Navy. And besides, if I want to travel, I want to do it for fun, not work."

"You guys aren't trying to rope Nikki into working again are you?" asked Harry as he came out of the door onto the decking.

"Hey Dad," said Matt whilst chewing on a piece of apple.

"And we were just saying, hypothetically speaking of course, that when Nikki is on leave, she can come and help us out," Dan answered his father's question.

"Um hello? I already help out! Whenever I'm on leave I'm always doing stuff for the business! And besides, I worked fully in the company all through ADFA; I'm in no hurry to juggle that amount of work with the Navy and a baby."

"Mmm. So when do I get to meet my first grandchild?" said Harry with a smile. Nikki looked at her fathers' happy face and grinned. He had seemed a lot better of late, focusing on his family. This made Nikki feel a little less worried about going home and leaving him.

"Quite a while Dad," she replied with a smile.

"Yeah, should probably let it get a bit bigger first Dad," said Matt. "Otherwise he won't fit in with us when we play footy if he's a short like his Mum." Nikki went to protest.

"I am not short!" she protested and then rethought that. "Okay, maybe in comparison to you skinny giants! And who says it's going to be a boy?"

"Oh, it's going to be boy," butted in Josh. "I can tell. Father's instincts." Nikki rolled her eyes.

"Absolutely, first Caetano grandchild. It's got to be a boy," said Dan. "There hasn't been a first born girl on this side of the family for generations."

"Well I think it's a girl," added Tamsin.

"Alright Tam, I'll bet you fifty bucks it's a boy," challenged Ryan. Nikki opened her mouth but still looked happy. Tamsin raised her eyebrows.

"Done," she said, reaching over Nikki to shake on it.

"What, so now you're betting on me?" asked Nikki in slight disbelief. Ryan nodded enthusiastically while Nikki shook her head.

"So, are you looking forward to getting home?" asked Matt. Nikki shrugged.

"I guess. I can't wait to see Ruby," replied Nikki, bending slightly to get a piece of apple.

"Not your friends or leaving your family behind, but your dog?" said Dan with an amused look.

"You get used to it mate," added ET. "She spends more time with her then she does with me. Ruby is the most spoilt dog in the world."

"I do not! And it's your fault for buying her for me," said Nikki, reaching to quickly touch his chin. Ruby had been a present from ET a year earlier for her birthday. "And I am really going to miss you guys," she added.

"Well, we're going to miss you too sweetheart," said Harry, smiling at his daughter.

_1735 hours, Sydney Airport_

ET and Nikki were at the airport, waiting to catch their flight back to Cairns. Harry, Dan, Ryan and even Cameron had come to see them off.

"Where's Matt and Tam?" asked Nikki anxiously, glancing towards the entrance again. There was only 10 minutes until they had to check in and Matt and Tamsin had still not arrived like they promised. No one replied to her question.

"Qantas Flight 715, Sydney to Cairns, please start making your way to the check-in area." The intercom boomed. Nikki sighed and looked back at the group.

"Say goodbye to them for us," she said unhappily as she hugged Ryan. He nodded. Whilst ET said goodbye to the boys, Nikki moved towards her father, reaching up to hug him.

"Oh, I'm going to miss you," he said quietly, hugging her tightly.

"Me too Dad," Nikki replied, feeling a few tears well in her eyes. She pulled back and looked up at him.

"You're mother would be very proud of you," he said quietly, smiling at her. Nikki bit her lip, allowing a few tears to roll down her cheeks. She bent slightly to pull up the handle on her roller suitcase as ET picked up his own and waved at the group before slowly making their way to the desks. They had only walked a few steps when they heard their names.

"Nikki! Josh! Wait up!" called out Tamsin as she hurried up. Nikki and Josh turned and spotted her and Matt just behind and rejoined the group. Nikki immediately went to hug her friend but Tamsin stepped back.

"Don't say goodbye. I'm coming with you guys," she told her, slightly breathlessly after her mad dash into the airport.

"What?" asked Nikki confused.

"Everything with your Mum made me realise the importance of family. And since my family can barely make the time for me, you guys are my family. And you're going to be alone when Josh is out at sea and with this arrhythmia thing not to mention the baby, I figured you could use someone," replied Tamsin taking a deep breath. Everyone around was watching in interest and confusion.

"I'll be okay, you don't have to do it for me," insisted Nikki but Tamsin interrupted.

"Nikki, I'm not. I want to be there for you. And I want a change and you know how much I love being up in Cairns with all the tropical beaches and new things. So why not make a new start up there with you guys?"

"Because you love Sydney! And my brother! Not to mention work. Doing what you do with the company is what you've always wanted and you're going to throw it all away for that?" replied Nikki. Whilst Nikki loved the idea of Tam being with her a lot, she had to think rationally. She didn't want her friend ruining her life for her.

"I'm coming too," said Matt from behind Tamsin. Nikki looked over Tamsin's shoulder and Tamsin turned slightly to face her boyfriend. "Not yet but in a few weeks once I've sorted out our house and jobs."

"You can't be serious," said Nikki, still shocked. Matt and Tamsin both nodded.

"And you're right; I love Sydney but I can always visit and besides, I love you more," she smiled at her friend.

"And we're keeping our jobs," said Matt. Tamsin was excitedly staring at her friend whilst Matt was talking, smiling and nodding her head. "We're branching the business out up there." Nikki was shaking her head in disbelief when Cameron stepped forward.

"You can't just expand the business up there! It's not just your decision to make," he said in a serious tone.

"For god's sake Cameron! You think after losing Mum you'd have realised that work isn't everything," said Matt seriously. It was obvious that Cameron had more to say but held back, frustrated.

"Tam, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Nikki again.

"We've been thinking about it over the last few days and it's what we want, isn't it?" replied Tamsin, turning again to face Matt. He smiled and nodded.

"Qantas Flight 715, Sydney to Cairns, can you please now make your way to the check-in desks to have your luggage processed." Tamsin turned and smiled excitedly.

"This is it!" she squealed. She turned and gave Matt a kiss. "Love you." He nodded.

"Me too. I'll see you soon." Tamsin also said goodbye to the boys before pulling her suitcase to join ET and Nikki.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this," said ET as they had their luggage processed.

"When did you decide all this?" asked Nikki, still shocked by it all.

"We've been talking about it since we got back. We just finalised it all last night."

"Hold on, so you knew about it at breakfast?" asked Nikki, stopping to grab Tamsin's arm as they made their way upstairs to wait for their flight. Tamsin nodded. "And you didn't say anything?"

"I'm sorry! We wanted it to be a surprise!" she said, looking at Nikki, hoping she'd understand.

"Well, you sure did," said ET, sitting down. "Where are you living? Are you selling your apartment in here?"

"No, we were going to lease it but then we realised that we're going to have to come back quite a bit anyway so it seemed pointless. And we're going to look to buy something up there."

"Well, you're staying with us until you buy something," said Nikki insistently. Tamsin smiled gratefully. As Nikki relaxed back into her seat, she couldn't help but smile. Something was finally going right!

_So, what do you think? I honestly want feedback as to the story, how I'm doing etc. Now that I've dealt with the funeral stuff, I'm heading back more to finding out what really happened. _

_When I first wrote this story, I never expected it would end up being this long or bringing in as much as I had. I hope it doesn't seem like I'm dragging on but now that I've written these filler chapters, I've realised they are really important. So, please bare with me if I get slow again with the updates. I'll try not to. So, let me know how I'm going!_


	18. Chapter 18

_Here's chapter 18 for you, sorry it took a while. Hoping to get into the heavier stuff soon; my original plan was for this chapter to have more about the poison and that sort of thing but it kind of just didn't get there. Anyway, I really want reviews! Thanks to those that have reviewed; you are always so kind and encouraging! This is dedicated to you._

_0145am, Cairns Airport_

"I am so tired!" declared Nikki as she, ET and Tamsin arrived back in Cairns. They headed over to collect their luggage before they went home. Nikki pulled out her phone and turned it back on, finding a couple of voicemail messages. She listened to the first one.

"_Hi Nikki, its Kate. Just wanting to say hi and wondering when you're going to be back. Anyway, just give us a call when you can. Bye." _Nikki smiled before moving to the next message.

"_Hey, it's Bomber. Just wondering if you are coming back today. Because if you are, we're out on a patrol and aren't expected to be back until tomorrow. Anyway, have fun and I'll talk to you soon."_ Nikki looked up to see ET waving a hand in front of her face.

"Are you even watching if your luggage comes out?"

"Sorry, distracted," she grinned sheepishly. She kept an eye on the luggage rotator but still listened to her voicemail messages.

"_Nikki, this is Cameron. This is the 6__th__ time I've tried calling you. It's about the business. You know the point of having a phone is to answer it?"_ Nikki held the phone away from her ear and shook her head. She couldn't believe she was even related to him!

"Come on, let's go home," said ET, giving up waiting for Nikki to get her own luggage as she had drifted off again, listening to her messages. He ended up pulling her suitcase off himself and dragging it along with his own.

"All I want is a bath, decent coffee and a warm bed," said Tamsin with a yawn.

"Well, if you can get her moving," said ET, pointing to Nikki. "Then you can have the first spa. Deal?"

"Absolutely!" replied Tamsin. She took a step closer to Nikki and pulled her arm. "Come on, I want a spa!" Nikki didn't really listen, allowing Tamsin to pull her along and out of the airport. The trio left the main airport before heading to the long term car park.

"Nikki, it's Cameron. Who's not answering the phone now? Had you ever thought that maybe I was on a plane and my phone was off?" said Nikki in an irritated voice. ET laughed as he listened to Nikki rip into Cameron via his voicemail.

"Maybe you should leave it until the morning, Bub. It is nearly 2 in the morning," said ET but he stopped when she looked up at him with deadly eyes.

"Don't get between a feud with Cameron; she'll never let up," said Tamsin, leaning on Nikki's car as they reached it.

"Fine then, but can I at least have the keys?" Nikki barely glanced up to throw him her keys before bringing her attention back to yelling at the phone. ET shook his head as they all climbed into the car.

_0220 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's House_

It was nearly 2.30am when they finally arrived home. Nikki had finally stopped yelling at Cameron's voicemail and had drifted off to sleep in the front seat on the short drive from the airport. ET and Tamsin both got out of the car and ET walked around to the boot whilst Tamsin opened the passenger door and attempted to get Nikki out.

"Come on, get up," said Tamsin, reaching over to unclick the seatbelt. The minute she did, Nikki pitched forward and Tamsin reached out quickly to stop her falling completely forward and hitting the gear stick. Whilst holding her up, Tamsin pulled her head out of the car. "Josh? You can wake her up otherwise she'll be grumpy at me in the morning." ET rolled his eyes and walked around the car to the passenger side.

"Come on, let's get you to bed," he said quietly, picking Nikki up and taking her out of the car.

"Mmm," was her only reply. Tamsin Shut the door and followed closely behind when a bark rang out.

"Ruby, be quiet," hissed Josh, aware of Nikki beginning to stir in his arms. As if on cue, she opened her eyes and looked about.

"Ruby?" she said, as if now she was fully awake. She sat up more and ET rolled his eyes again before putting her down. Nothing would stand in the way of Nikki and her precious pup. Tamsin and ET went back to bringing in their suitcase while Nikki fussed over Ruby, carrying her inside with the others.

"So what did your brother say that had you so worked up?" asked Tamsin a few minuted later as they sat in the lounge room, having a quick cup of tea before going to bed. Nikki looked up from rubbing Ruby to roll her eyes.

"Who knows? He was just having a go at me for not answering my phone."

"So you thought the best idea was to call him back and have a go at him just like he did to you?" said ET, looking at Nikki with a smile. Nikki took a moment to think about what he had just said. He was right. She had just done the same thing back to Cameron! Her attention was broken when Ruby jumped up and ran to the doorway. They watched the little dog dance at the doorway, tail wagging. ET stood up to go and see what she was doing and, seeing nothing, was about to go and sit back down when he spotted something.

"Ow! I did not! That guy had it coming," said Spider as he and Bomber walked up the driveway, obviously oblivious that their housemates had returned home.

"And it proved what? You restrained the guy and then fell overboard! Fat lot of good that was going to be considering he was free to run off again!" chortled Bomber. "The only reason he didn't get away was because I happened to see what happened and could get him before he got away.

"You lose another one Spide?" asked ET from inside the doorway.

"ET?" Spider called out hesitantly. Spider and Bomber were walking towards the doorway and could only hear the voice. ET reached up and flicked on the outside light.

"I didn't know you guys were getting back yet! When did you get home?" said Bomber, walking slightly more quickly to the front door. ET stepped to the side and let them in the front door.

"Hey guys," said Nikki, not moving from her spot on her yoga ball on the lounge room floor.

"Hey... Tamsin?" exclaimed Bomber, surprised to see Tamsin back in the living room. "What are you doing back?!" So, Tamsin told Bomber and Spider everything.

A short time later, everyone headed to bed, exhausted by each of their events from the previous day.

_0730 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

ET awoke the next morning to find Nikki still asleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he climbed gently out of bed and went to the kitchen to make breakfast, only to find Bomber cooking with Spider helping and Tamsin sitting at the counter.

"What happened to your rule about not cooking during shore leave?" said ET with a smile as he went around the counter to get out a coffee mug from the cupboard.

"Only if someone else can cook. But I don't trust Spider to cook us breakfast. And I'm hardly going to make Tamsin cook on her first night back here," replied Bomber, flipping a pancake. Tamsin looked up from the newspaper she was reading.

"I honestly don't mind! I did offer but I'm not allowed apparently," she told ET. He smiled whilst pouring himself a coffee from the plunger.

"Nikki still asleep?" said Tamsin, noticing the absence of her friend. ET nodded.

"Either there or the bathroom," he said with a smile. "But she was in bed when I came out."

"Well I'm not anymore," interrupted Nikki as she came out of the hallway into the kitchen.

"Feeling any less tired then you did last night when you wouldn't wake up and nearly hit your head on the gear stick?" teased Tamsin, reaching to pick up a piece of toast from the plate on the bench. Nikki smiled and glared at her friend. Spider looked intrigued as he leant against the bench next to the stove whilst Bomber turned to look over her shoulder.

"Much," was all she said. She went over to take a seat next to Tamsin and leant over her friends' shoulder to check out the newspaper. They were all interrupted by the shrill ring of the house phone.

"I'll get it," offered Spider, pushing himself off the bench and striding over to the counter, reaching above Nikki's head to retrieve the cordless phone.

"Hello?" He listened for a minute. "Oh, okay, she's just here. I'll put her on," said Spider, slightly hesitantly. He held the phone out to Nikki. "Your brother."

"Which one?" said Nikki. She did, after all, have four of them!

"Cameron." Nikki gave him a bored look before taking a deep breath and talking into the phone.

"Morning Cameron. I'm guessing this isn't a friendly phone call to your sister?" she said in a bored voice, picking up a peach slice from the bowl of them on the table and dipping it into some yoghurt before putting it in her mouth.

"Nikki, this is important. Have you been withdrawing money from the company account?" he said in a serious tone. Nikki chewed on the piece of peach.

"And why would I do that?"

"Just answer the question!" he replied impatiently.

"No," said Nikki firmly, already irritated by her brother, even though she had been on the phone to him for less than a minute.

"Well someone has. They've been siphoning it into another account in thousand dollar amounts."

"Siphoning?" said Nikki, slightly confused by what Cameron was trying to tell her. The others in the kitchen, who couldn't hear the other end to the conversation, all were wearing curious faces.

"Yes siphoning, just like petrol," he said sarcastically.

"How much is gone?" asked Nikki, his words obviously just sinking in and having meaning.

"$20, 000 since Monday," he replied. Nikki's face turned to one of shock. It was only Thursday. What on earth was going on?

_Chapter 18 done! What do you think? Like it? Hate it? Let me know how I'm doing. _

_Hoping to get another update done. Please forgive me if I don't get one up really quickly; busy checking out Melbourne before I leave and I've been having a few troubles with asthma again. SO forgive me! Hope you enjoy. _


	19. Chapter 19

_I'm back again but this time with chapter 19! I hope you enjoy it. _

_I'm not sure when the next update will be. As you know, I've been on holidays and I'm spending my last day in Melbourne tomorrow before flying to Brisbane tomorrow night so I want to make the most of my time here in Melbourne! But I promise I will try and update quickly!_

_Thanks so much to those of you who are reviewing; I can't tell you how much it means to me and how it encourages me to keep writing. _

"_How much is gone?" asked Nikki, his words obviously just sinking in and having meaning. _

"_$20, 000 since Monday," he replied. Nikki's face turned to one of shock. It was only Thursday. What on earth was going on?_

Nikki was trying to comprehend exactly what this all meant whilst her housemates were looking at her with concerned faces.

"And you sure you haven't been withdrawing money?" asked Cameron again, bringing Nikki back out of her thoughts.

"I'm pretty sure I could remember if I had," replied Nikki.

"I had to ask. I mean, you own a house and you recently brought a brand new car..."

"And you think I had something to do with it?!" hissed Nikki, her voice rising higher. She might not have gotten along with her brother but she never would have thought he'd accuse her of that!"

"No! Of course I don't Nikki! I just had to ask," he replied quickly. Even through the phone, he could tell how stressed she sounded. "But we need to track where this money's gone."

"Can't you get Dan to trace it? He is the accountant," replied Nikki, not knowing what else to say.

"Yeah, well he's getting on to it. Look, I better go. I'll let you know what happens," said Cameron. Nikki could hear someone call out in the background. "Did you hear that? Matt says to tell Tamsin that he's not sure when he'll be coming up now with this going on," added Cameron. Nikki could hear more talking in the background. "And he said to tell her not to come back to Sydney." Nikki hung up before passing on the details to the curious faces around her.

"So what, someone's been withdrawing money from the accounts?" said Tamsin in disbelief. Nikki nodded.

"Hard to believe since security is so tight," added Nikki. "And Matt says to say that he's not sure when he'll be coming up here with everything that is going on."

"Maybe I need to go back," said Tamsin, worry evident in her voice. But Nikki shook her head.

"He also said just to stay here. They'll be fine." Tamsin resettled in her seat before taking a sip of coffee.

"You don't think this has got anything to do with your Mum?" said Bomber slowly. The others turned to face her and a look of realisation dawned on Nikki.

"I can't believe I didn't put two and two together!" She quickly took the phone back from the hook and headed off towards the backyard.

_1130 hours, Shopping centre_

Later that morning, Nikki had been dragged out of the house by Tamsin to go shopping with Kate. Bomber had decided to stay home and catch up on some TV. After Nikki had quickly caught up with Kate, the girls had done some retail therapy before stopping for a quick coffee.

"So someone's been taking money from the company?" said Kate after she was filled in on the details. "And how much?"

"$20 000 in three days," replied Nikki, nodding her head.

"What do the police say about it?" asked Kate, intrigued into what was going on.

"Haven't heard. They're reporting it probably now," said Nikki, looking down at her delicate silver watch bangle.

"I've been meaning to ask, how was the funeral?" Nikki sighed before nodding.

"It was good, well, for a funeral anyway," replied Nikki. Tamsin nodded in agreement.

"The speeches were so true. And Nikki gave the most moving speech which somehow managed to include shopping!" laughed Tamsin. Kate giggled. They were interrupted by Kate's mobile ringing.

"Kate McGregor." Nikki looked down at her iced chocolate whilst Kate was talking, only looking up when she heard 'yes Sir.' As Kate hung up, Nikki could already guess.

"Hammersley's been tasked?" Kate nodded. Nikki smiled and turned to Tamsin.

"Tam, I'm sorry. I don't really want to leave you on your own. Maybe I can get..." But Tam started shaking her head.

"No! I'm a big girl, I'll be fine. Just go do whatever you guys do," she said, swallowing the final piece of the chocolate fudge slice she was eating. Nikki smiled and hugged her very understanding friend.

"Thank you. Do you want to come home with us now?" asked Nikki as she and Kate stood up.

"It's okay. I've got a bit to do so I'll get a taxi back later," she replied, standing up too. Nikki opened her bag and pulled out her keys, tossing them to her friend.

"Here, just take my car. I'll go home with Kate," smiled Nikki before she and Kate left.

_1335 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

"So why did we get tasked?" asked Swain as he came over to his neighbours' house, putting his bag into the back of ET's car.

"I don't know, we're taking over from the HMAS Launceston. Something about them needing repairs," replied Nikki, as she and Spider walked out to the car.

"Typical," muttered Spider, ducking his head to avoid hitting it on the door.

"Are you guys coming or what?" called out Nikki. "Ruby!" she called, looking around for her little dog, spotting her as she came bounding over from running up and down the front lawn.

"I'm coming!" called out ET a few moments later as he emerged from the front door. "Bomber's looking for her mobile phone I think." Nikki smiled and pulled out her own mobile, scrolling down the contact list and hitting dial. A few seconds later, Spider, Swain, ET and Nikki could hear the ring of a mobile from inside the car.

"Bomber, your phones in your bag in the car!" called out Spider as he went inside to get her. Nikki laughed and threw her mobile through the open passenger side door, letting it land on the seat. She bent down to pick up Ruby before heading out towards the backyard to shut the gate. Finally, everyone was ready to go and they all climbed into the car. ET pressed the electric window button to wind his window down and was about to back the car out of the driveway when he spotted little Chloe rush out of the front door of the neighbouring house. He stopped the car.

"Don't rush out Chloe!" scolded Sally as she hurried up behind her little girl.

"Hey Chlo!" said ET, sticking his head out the driver's side window. He held his hand out for the little girl to high five. She did and then poked her head through the window.

"Love you Daddy!" she said excitedly, blowing him a kiss. Swain smiled while Bomber laughed.

_1400 hours, HMAS Hammersley home port_

The Hammersley was alive with sailors boarding the ship and preparing to leave port. After parking the car in the long term car park, ET, Nikki, Swain, Bomber and Spider headed to the Hammersley, saluting as they boarded.

"Welcome back you two!" greeted Buffer as he walked past.

"Thanks Buff," replied Nav with a smile as she sidled past to head into the Hammersley. She bumped into Mike on the way.

"Good to have you back Nav," he smiled. "Although I hear we don't have you for much longer." Nikki looked at him in surprise. He laughed at her face. "Marshall." Nikki smiled and nodded.

"Yes sir."

"Congratulations," he smiled.

"Thank you sir," she returned. He excused himself to go to the bridge. _I wonder how long until the others find out, _thought Nikki to herself, smiling. After all, she wasn't exactly going to be able to hide it forever!

A little while later, Nikki was happily sitting in the bridge, getting herself reacquainted with everything. The boat pitched forward in the rough swell and Nikki felt her stomach lurch.

"Oh!" she said, holding onto the edge of her seat.

"You alright there?" asked Kate as she walked over to stand between Nikki's chair and the captain's chair.

"That's why I don't like shore leave; it's too hard to readjust when I get back," she giggled. Mike laughed. The sat phone rang and Mike reached over to answer it.

"CO, Hammersley." He silently listened. "Roger, yes sir." He replaced the handset back on the hook.

"Coast watch has picked up a vessel in our vicinity that is in need of assistance," he told the crew on the bridge.

"Here's the coordinates," said RO, standing up to pass over a piece of paper which Nikki took and began plotting.

"Starboard 10, steer 320."

"Starboard 10, steer 320," repeated Spider, who was sitting at the helm.

"What was the problem, sir?" asked Kate after the Hammersley changed course.

"Navcom didn't know, we've just been tasked us to render assistance." Kate nodded.

_That's chapter 19 done! Next chapter is what they call a milestone; 20 chapters! I never expected it to go on this long! Here's hoping it's not dragging on. _

_Please let me know what you think. I really do appreciate and love hearing from you. _


	20. Chapter 20

_Milestone chapter! Number 20! _

_Okay, call this a serious blonde moment. The only reason I got to update tonight is because I got the complete wrong day and my flight isn't until tomorrow night! So, I am still in Melbourne until Saturday night and decided on updating this early this morning because I probably won't get the chance to later. Hope you enjoy. And to __**7 (), **__I hope you ended up working out what I meant by "Marshall." _

_1625 hours, HMAS Hammersley bridge_

The Hammersley crew were still making their way to the vessel when Spider, who was now at the EOD, called out.

"Ah, Sir, I think I've got them." Mike and Nikki moved to see the EOD.

"And I've got a radar contact roughly in the position they are supposed to be in," added Nikki, quickly glancing over her shoulder at the radar screen.

"Try get them on the radio RO," ordered Mike. "X, prepare the boarding party."

"Yes Sir," replied Kate, heading out of the bridge with Buffer. Spider looked at the retreating figures.

"You go, I'll take over here Spider," replied Nikki, tapping on his shoulder to relieve the young sailor. He smiled gratefully before exiting the bridge. She watched through the EOD as minutes later, both RHIB's came into view as they powered over the water towards the yacht.

"Charlie82, this is X-Ray82, come in over," said Kate over the radio a few minutes later. Mike walked over from the EOD to pick up the radio.

"This is Charlie82, go ahead X."

"Sir, there is 2 POB. Both aged 17. It's Jacob Mathews and Taylor Robbins," said the X from the yacht, glancing back over at the kids sitting on the bench seat. Back on the Hammersley, Nikki turned to look over at Mike as he replied.

"The two kids that went missing a week ago?"

"Yes Sir. Bomber seems to think they are okay. Sir, suggest putting the yacht under tow and bringing them back to the Hammersley, over," added Kate. Mike nodded to himself.

"Very good X. Get Buffer and Spider to organise the tow and bring them back over to the Hammersley so Swain can assess them," he replied. Mike turned to Swain, who had taken Spider's seat at the helm some time before. "Swain, you can go and assist down on deck."

"Yes Sir," replied Swain, standing up to exit the bridge.

"So what were they doing all the way out here?" asked Nikki, curiously glancing out the window where the yacht was in view.

"Probably trying to get out of here anyway they can," replied Mike. "RO, patch through a call to Navcom and advise them on the situation." RO nodded and turned to face the radio console.

A few minutes later, one of the RHIB's arrived back alongside the Hammersley before the crane hoisted it up. Kate, ET and Bomber were on board along with Jacob and Taylor. Mike and Nikki watched from the outside upper deck before Mike left to go below and see the teens.

"Step along here please," ET told the teenagers as he and Bomber guided them along the deck. Kate climbed off the RHIB before following them down the decks, heading to the Hammersley's bridge a few minutes later.

"Did they tell you why they were out here?" asked Mike as he and Kate both re-entered the bridge from down below.

"Just that they wanted to get away," replied Kate, taking of her cap and smoothing down her hair before re-putting it back on.

"What from exactly?" asked Mike, standing next to the captain's chair.

"They refused to say. And the yacht, apparently it belongs to Jacob's parents."

"It does," interrupted RO from his seat at the radio console. Mike and Kate turned to look at him. "The yachts registration number confirms that it is registered to a Rob and Julia Mathews of Broome."

"Broome? That's ages away!" said Mike in slight disbelief.

"WA police have said that the Mathews reported that Jacob had experience with sailing," added RO. Mike scoffed.

"I'll say. Alright, we'll head back to home port and the police can deal with it," he said. "Nav, set course for home port."

"Yes Sir."

_1930 hours, HMAS Hammersley, austere. _

Nikki decided to take dinner down to the teenagers to save Bomber, who was busy with the cooking tonight. The Hammersley had been tasked to check out an illegal entry vessel so they were to be delayed getting home. She climbed down the hatch and the teenagers looked up, startled.

"I thought I'd bring you guys some dinner," smiled Nikki, holding out the two plates she held.

"Oh, thank you," said Taylor, smiling politely. Nikki watched them both eat silently for a moment before speaking again.

"You had your parents worried," she said. Taylor looked up at Nikki whilst Jacob looked over to Taylor.

"I doubt it. My parents wouldn't care," replied Taylor, looking back down at her plate.

"Yeah? They sounded pretty relieved to hear you were okay."

"It's all an act," added Taylor. "All my parents care about is their stupid law firm."

"Tay..." said Jacob, speaking to his friend.

"I'm sure they do care," replied Nikki although couldn't help thinking back to when she was a teenager, thinking that her own parents were too caught up in their business to care about their children. While she had come to realise that her parents did care for her and everything they had worked for had been for their children, she had spent a lot of her teen life questioning their love.

"You reckon?" Nikki was brought back out of her own thoughts by the girl talking again. "I couldn't even remember the last time I had dinner with them and let's just say that Mum's assistant and I have become very good friends considering the amount of time I've spoken to her, looking for Mum. Jacob put her arm around Taylor's shoulders. "That's why I convinced Jay to take me away."

"You know, I felt exactly like you did when I was younger," started Nikki, taking a seat on one of the austere beds. "My parents own a big company too; lawyers, accountants, the works. And they were so busy that I felt I never saw them." Taylor looked at Nikki while she spoke, seeming to be able to relate what she was saying to her own life. "But then I became to realise that no matter what happened, my parents loved me and cared for me more than anything else in the world."

"I told you," said Jacob, staring at Taylor, who still had her eyes fixed on Nikki.

"But I never get to see them," said Taylor, sniffling a little. "My parents send me off to some private school and think I can just take care of myself. That's why I wanted to go away, so they'd notice and maybe care about me more." Nikki gave her a small, sympathetic smile. All Taylor wanted was her parents to notice her.

"A couple of weeks ago, my mother died," said Nikki, deciding to take a completely different direction with this conversation. "My colleagues and I found her dying out here on a boat."

"You found your own mother?" asked Taylor, her faced shocked when Nikki nodded.

"Yeah. But the point I'm making is that you never realise what you've got until it's gone. I mean, I used to catch up with my mum a lot; she was like my best friend. But when you lose someone, who reflect on all the time you've wasted. Like this, running away. You should go home and talk to your parents and try to tell them how you feel." Nikki stood up. "When I felt like you did, it worked for me." Without another word, Nikki climbed back up the ladder, leaving two very shocked teenagers.

_2000 hours, HMAS Hammersley bridge_

Nikki entered the bridge, coming over to sit in the navigators' seat. Mike and Kate were talking.

"Nav, stand by to head for home port. We can't seem to find this illegal entry boat," said Mike, noticing the navigator arrive on the bridge.

"Yes Sir."

"We're going to have some very frantic parents to deal with when we arrive back," sighed Mike, although he had a small smile on his face.

"I can't imagine what it must be like having your child run away and you not knowing where they are, let alone if they are okay," added Kate, pacing a few steps.

"Maybe they'll realise their negligence," said Nikki softly but Mike and Kate both heard, looking at Nikki for some kind of explanation. "Taylor said that she convinced Jacob to run away with her because she felt her parents were too busy with their law firm to care about her," she added eventually.

"They told you this?" asked Mike. Nikki nodded.

"You can still speak teenager?" asked Kate with a slight laugh, clearly impressed as she had barely been able to get the names of the teenagers!

"No, I just know how she felt. I spent a lot of my teenage years thinking the same thing about my parents." Mike looked at Kate. "Just with any luck, she'll be able to sort things out with her parents like I did and they'll make more of an effort to spend time with her."

_0230 hours, HMAS Hammersley home port_

It was early the next morning when the HMAS Hammersley arrived back at base. Nikki watched from the deck as Taylor and Jacob were lead off the ship. Before Taylor had left the gangway, she turned back up, smiling to the navigator and giving her a small wave before both teenagers went to meet the relieved parents waiting on the deck with police. As Nikki waved back, ET joined her.

"What did you say them?" Nikki turned her face to look at him. "I saw you head into austere earlier," he elaborated, knowing she was wondering how he knew.

"Nothing really," she smiled. "Just the truth." ET raised his eyebrows, causing Nikki to laugh. "Come on, let's go home."

_***_

_That's it for now. I would write more but I've been sitting in the same spot for ages now and my neck is killing me! Please let me know what you think. I never planned on having a chapter like this; it just kind of happened. Hope you don't mind. _

_Like I said, I'm not sure when I'll be updating next. I'll be making the most of my final day in Melbourne and then I'll be flying to Brisbane so it will be a matter of finding the time to sit and write. Although, knowing my friend, as soon as we hit the hotel, she'll probably go and continue with Sea Patrol! Anyway, please let me know what you think. _


	21. Chapter 21

_Here's chapter 21. The chapters seem to be running away from me! _

_One month and a half later..._

"I can't believe this is my last day!" sighed Nikki as she sat at the navigation console on the bridge of the HMAS Hammersley. At 3 and a half months, Nikki was moving to a shore posting at Navcom.

"So you're moving to a desk job?" asked Spider, speaking from his place at the helm. Nikki nodded.

"You're going to have fun," said RO sarcastically, joining in the conversation. Nikki rolled her eyes when RO continue talking. "Why would anyone give up their career for children? It's just crazy." Nikki couldn't help laughing.

"You'll understand it all one day RO." All she got in response was a sarcastic 'Mmm.'

"Have the feds found out anymore about your mother or the money going missing?" asked Mike from his spot at the captain's chair. The case about money going missing from the company accounts had been handed over to the feds after Lucia's suspicious death. Nikki groaned.

"Not really. We had to shut the whole company system down and then had to get a new security system but by the time we managed to get it all locked up again, we had lost $50, 000 and the feds couldn't trace it."

"Fifty grand?" said Mike, shocked. Nikki nodded.

"Because we had to shut down everything to sort it out, it took a few days to get it all back in order and money kept getting removed and transferred to an untraceable account." Mike raised his eyebrows and turned to look out the front windows.

"Sir, Navcom," said RO a few minutes later, holding a corded phone out. Mike turned around and stepped towards RO to take it, speaking for a few minutes.

"That was about your replacement," Mike told Nikki as he went to take his seat again a few moments later. Nikki slightly cringed at the word "replacement." She still wasn't used to the fact she was moving to a desk job. While the most action she saw now was through the EOD or out on the deck, it was the fact that she was leaving the Hammersley, her second home and family, which made her upset.

"So they finally have a replacement?" asked Nikki. Mike nodded. Nikki knew that while they didn't have to have a navigator to sail, they needed someone to take over her divisions as an officer.

"He'll be joining us when we get back to port." Nikki sighed. Whilst she was wondering how she was going to get used to the fact that she wasn't on the Hammersley anymore, the Hammersley was able to continue on without her.

_1130 hours, HMAS Hammersley bridge_

Nikki was on the bridge during the relatively quiet morning. The radar beeped and she glanced down to see the small dots.

"Sir, I've got two radar contacts. Both appear stationary," said Nikki, glancing between the radar and her boss.

"Do you want to try radio them Sir?" asked Kate from the helm.

"Two vessels out here? No X. Nav, plot us a course that keeps us below the horizon and we'll keep an eye on them," responded Mike. Nikki immediately got to setting the course and instructing Kate on the course changes. She was looking at the radar screen when she saw one vessel start moving off in a north-easterly direction.

"Sir!" she called out and Mike looked over towards the radar and instantly knew what she was meaning.

"X! Organise a snatch party! Take RO with you," he called out. "Nav, take us in closer and call gunner of the watch." RO groaned as he was forced off the bridge by the X. A few minutes later, the RHIB's were being lowered into the water with Kate, ET and Spider in one whilst the other held Buffer, Swain and RO. Bomber was standing by the 50 cal, waiting for the order to engage if necessary.

"Sir, the first vessel is still stationary, the other is still moving off in a north-easterly direction," updated Nikki.

"Alright. Nav with me!" he called, heading out of the bridge to the upper deck, grabbing a pair of headphones as he left. Nikki grabbed a pair too and followed him out.

"Vessel on my port bow, this is Australian Warship Hammersley. Stop or heave to, I intend to board you!" called out Nikki through the loud hailer. "Sir, they're not stopping." Mike nodded, his eyes still fixed on the vessel.

"Alright they're not going to stop. Order warning fire."

"Gunner action! One short burst, ahead of the bow. Engage!" called out Nikki through her headset to Bomber. Bomber fired the 50 cal into the water towards the front of the vessel. "Vessels not stopping Sir."

"Carry on the sea boat!" called Mike, watching as his crew took off on RHIB's. They powered over the water in the direction of the small vessel which was now not too far away from the Hammersley.

"Heave to!" called Kate, signalling with her hands to stop. The four people on board the vessel took one look at the Hammersley and approaching inflatables and began firing their rifles at the Hammersley.

"Get down!" yelled Mike as he, Nikki and Bomber all ducked from the bullets hitting the Hammersley. Over on the RHIB's, the boarding party had ducked but a large percentage of the bullets were aimed at the Hammersley. They began firing at the vessel until Spider took a bullet.

"Spider's been hit!" called out ET, bending over to the fallen sailor.

"We've got one down! Spider took a bullet!" Kate yelled into the radio. Mike looked up slightly, as did Nikki but ducked back down again as more bullets were aimed for the Hammersley.

"Boarding party stand down!" he called, glancing slightly over.

"Abort! Abort!" called out Kate. ET was still tending to Spider as Kate bent over slightly.

"Is Spider okay?" Mike's voice came through the radio. ET was the one to respond.

"He's alright! Need Swain to take a look at him though!" Mike sighed with relief and turned to see his female sailors still on the ground.

"You two alright?"

"Sir!" called out Nav, pulling herself up slightly and crawling to where Bomber was still on the ground, her arm bleeding. Mike crawled over to join them. Although the vessel had stopped firing, they weren't taking any chances. Mike put his hand on Nikki's shoulder to steady himself while Nikki put her own hand over Bomber's, attempting to stop the blood. Bomber looked extremely pale.

"We need Swain back here, now!" ordered Mike into the headset. Back on the RHIB's, ET and Spider looked up at X, who turned back quickly to face the Hammersley. They knew that the Hammersley would need Swain back if someone was injured.

"Is everything alright Sir?" asked Kate, dread building in her stomach, the thought of one of her fellow crew mates being injured making her sick.

"Bomber's been hit, she's still conscious though," replied Mike, glancing back at the young sailor that Nikki was tending to. Back on the RHIB, Spider seemed to have forgotten about being shot himself at this news and sat up, yelping in pain.

"Whoa!" said ET, pushing him back down.

"Swain! You need to get back to the Hammersley with Spider; Bomber's been hit too!" called out Kate as the RHIB's drew closer together. The faces on the other RHIB were grim and Buffer turned to look back at the vessel that had caused all the damage. Kate noticed. "There's nothing we can do now Buff." He nodded and Swain jumped aboard the other RHIB whilst Kate and ET jumped into the other. Swain and Spider's RHIB began motoring towards the Hammersley whilst the other RHIB headed for the yacht.

"You alright Bomber?" asked Mike back on the Hammersley. She looked incredibly pale.

"Never better boss," said Bomber through gritted teeth as Nikki pressed harder onto her arm.

"Charge!" called out Mike over his shoulder. A few seconds later, Charge appeared from the bridge. "What condition is the boat in?"

"Everything's still up and running Sir."

"Good, I need you to help Nav get Bomber to the wardroom," replied Mike, standing up and catching a glimpse of one of the RHIB's headed for the Hammersley.

"Alright, on three. One, two, three!" counted Nikki as she and Charge helped Bomber to her feet, holding her up as they headed for the wardroom. Bomber again gritted her teeth, trying to resist the urge to yelp in pain as Nikki's grip around her wound again tightened.

Meanwhile, the other RHIB arrived alongside the yacht.

"Australian Navy!" called Buffer as he and ET boarded the boat, followed closely by RO and Kate.

"Australian Navy!" ET next called out. Again, there was no response.

"ET, RO, that way," said Buffer, pointing to his left. Buffer and Kate went to the right but after seeing no one, headed below deck where they found a couple cowering in the corner.

"We're the Australian Navy," said Kate as she entered the small room, taking in the mess surrounding them and the couples' terrified faces.

"ET, we've got them," said Buffer quietly into the radio.

"Can you tell us what happened?" asked Kate, moving closer to them slowly.

"5 men in a boat came on board and were searching for something," said the man, the woman next to him shaking.

"You're both safe now," Kate told her, bending down in front of the woman. Buffer looked up at the door above him, waiting for RO and ET. But then he thought back to what the man had just said. Five_ men? We only saw four! _Buffer suddenly thought.

"X." He nodded back and Kate stood up and moved towards him. "They said there was five. I only saw four on that boat." A look of realisation crossed her face.

"This is X-Ray82. We cannot account for one of the men on the other vessel," she said quietly into her radio. Back on the Hammersley, Mike listened to his XO and then responded, not quite sure what she meant.

"What do you mean X?"

"Sir, we only saw four on the other boat. The couple on this yacht said there was five," she said, her voice shaking slightly. Both ends were silent for a moment before ET's voice came over the radio.

"We just found him."

****

_Well, that chapter is done. Arrived in Brisbane early this morning and had an "interesting" flight. The flight got delayed; they stuffed up my friends' ticket so she was in the same seat as someone else and nearly missed the flight fixing their stuff up. Then the pilot got put on the wrong runway and we had to circle for 15 minutes, we had a choice of fish in white sauce and beans for dinner  
or funny coloured looking chicken stir fry. The food is not normally that bad! And then after finally arriving in Brisbane, they then lost my luggage so I had to wait at the airport for an extra two hours before they found my suitcase. Finally, arriving at our hotel this morning, I was exhausted and fell straight asleep. I went out for lunch and then got back and decided to write this is so if there's anything wrong with it, read about my last day and forgive me! Lol. Sorry for ranting so much too!_

_Please read and comment. Thanks to those few who have been. You are the best. _


	22. Chapter 22

_Now, after being called evil for leaving you with that last cliff hanger last chapter, I have updated for you. Hope you like it. And again thanks those of you who have been reviewing. I really appreciate it. And yes, the airport didn't seem to like me!_

"_We just found him."_

Kate looked at Buffer who paused only for a moment before scaling the ladder out. Kate followed. Reaching the upper deck, they could see ET holding his gun up but they couldn't see RO or anyone else.

"Just let him go," they could hear ET saying. Kate was drawn away from watching as Buff tapped her on the shoulder and cocked his head, gesturing to move the other way around the boat. Meanwhile, back on the Hammersley, Mike was still wondering what was going on with his crew on the yacht.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, SITREP over," he said into the radio. Again he got no response. "Bravo82, this is Charlie82, come in Buff, over." By now, Mike was starting to get frustrated. Until he picked up his binoculars again and saw it all for himself. A man on the deck, who appeared to have a gun in one hand, had his arm around RO's neck whilst ET stood a mere 2 metres away, holding up his own gun.

"Charlie82 this is X-Ray82, Sir we've got a hostage situation, I repeat, we have a hostage situation, over!" came the X's voice seconds later.

"X, what exactly is going on, over."

"Sir, I'm not exactly sure but he appears to be holding ET and RO. I can't tell if he's armed, over," she replied, slightly breathlessly. Mike looked back through the binoculars and could definitely see the gun being pressed against RO's vest.

"He's armed X, don't take any unnecessary risks but get them out of there. Charlie82 out."

Down below, Nikki was with Swain, helping with Bomber and Spider. Bomber's arm had only been grazed by the bullet but that hadn't stopped it bleeding. Swain had fixed it up as best as he could but Bomber was still looking like a ghost, her skin an unnatural white colour.

"It's just a graze Bomber," he told her. "But if it keeps bleeding, you might need a transfusion." Bomber nodded slightly as she sat on the seat in the wardroom, Nikki sitting next to her. Swain was checking out Spider. A dark bruise had already formed over his chest from when the bullet had hit his Kevlar. At each movement, Spider would cringe and hiss with pain. "And you probably have a couple of broken ribs, maybe even a cracked sternum."

"Great. I remember when ET did that," hissed Spider through gritted teeth as Swain again applied more pressure. "You alright Bomber?" From where Spider was sitting, he couldn't see Bomber's face. She looked out distantly, not really very responsive.

"Bomber," Nikki pressed, noticing her dazed look when Bomber's eyes rolled back in her head and she started to tilt slightly to the other direction of the chair, threatening to fall straight off it at any moment. Nikki reached forward to grab her as quickly as she could but struggled to hold her onto the seat from her sitting position.

"Swain!" Swain turned around at Nikki's cry and rushed to hold Bomber up.

"All right, she's passed out," he said. "Need to lie her down here." Bomber was pulled onto the bed flat on her back. Swain checked her bandage and could see it was still bleeding. Spider was looking over, worry evident on his face. "She's lost a lot of blood, she'll need a transfusion." He picked up her tags to check her blood type. "She's O+. Nav, can you check the records to see who else is Has the same blood type." Nikki nodded and immediately left.

"I'm O+," said Spider. Swain looked up but shook his head.

"You're not doing it unless there's no one else." Spider sighed.

Back over on the yacht, RO was still being held by the man and ET still had his gun trained on the man.

"Just let him go," said ET. The man scoffed.

"Yeah right! I let him go and you shoot me! Not going to happen."

"Protocol says we can't," insisted ET, trying to encourage the man to let RO go. Buffer and Kate were making their way around the other side of the boat.

Back on the Hammersley, Mike was watching the scene on the yacht from the outer deck when he heard Nav shouting for him.

"Boss!" she ran out the door, breathing heavily having just run to the bridge and up the stairs in a rush. He turned around at her voice. "Boss, Bomber needs a transfusion and she's O+. On board, there's me, you, Spider and RO who have that blood type." Mike nodded. "Would you donate blood because Spider and I can't?" she said again after it appeared the captain didn't get the message. He sighed, not wanting to leave with the current situation but knowing that he didn't have a choice; Bomber needed blood.

"Alright, Nav I need you to take the ship. Nav?" But Nikki had spotted what was happening on the yacht.

"What's going on?" she asked in a panicked voice, not liking the scene in front of her.

"There was one of the men from the other boat still on board," Mike told her, handing her the binoculars. "I don't know much Nav." He also handed her the radio but before he let her actually take it from his hands, he spoke again. "Navigator has the ship?"

"Navigator has the ship," she replied, taking the radio from him as he ducked away below decks. She took the binoculars he had handed her and looked towards the yacht. On the deck, the man was still armed, holding RO whilst ET's gun was still pointed at the man. _Please let him be alright. No, all of them, _thought Nikki to herself, not wanting to contemplate what could happen. She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps behind her and saw Charge coming out from inside the Hammersley.

"We got away with pretty minimal damage, ma'am," he told her. She looked away from the binoculars briefly as he spoke. "Couple of broken windows, one of the comms links got damaged and the crew back here got away relatively okay, with the exception of Bomber and Spider." Nikki nodded slowly before turning her attention back to the yacht, Charge doing the same through his own binoculars.

On the yacht, Buffer and Kate were just out of sight from the man but were not on the opposite side of the yacht. They had to wait for the opportunity to restrain him without anyone getting hurt.

"Just let him go and no one gets hurt," they could hear ET saying. They listened for a few more minutes.

"I'm not going to let him go. You either!" yelled the man, the gun wavering in his hand slightly. He took a step closer to ET, raising the gun to him. "Either of you move, I'll kill you." Buffer saw this as his chance and moved swiftly behind the guy. The man didn't notice this at first but as soon as he did, he panicked. RO was pushed to the ground in the man's haste as he tried to turn the gun on Buffer before his plan backfired. A gunshot rang out and caused the Hammersley crew to all look up quickly.

"Oh my god," whimpered Nav slightly as she saw ET fall to the ground. Buffer had by now tackled the guy down, taking the pair of handcuffs the X passed him quickly and restraining him. RO had quickly made his way to ET, who appeared unconscious, as did Kate after ensuring Buffer had the man under control.

"ET?" said RO, slapping ET's cheek slightly, trying to rouse him.

"This is X-Ray82. We've got a man down, I repeat a man down. ET's been hit!" called out Kate through the radio.

"This is November 82, what condition is he in?" asked Nav, her voice wavering slightly.

"He's unconscious, I don't know anymore," replied Kate, hating how she had to tell her friend over the radio. "RO, you stay with him. I'm going to go check on the couple below."

"Yes ma'am."

A short time later, Buffer brought the cuffed man on board one of the RHIB's whilst the couple were ushered onto the other waiting RHIB, with Charge helping them aboard. RO and Kate helped ET, who had regained consciousness again, onto Charge's RHIB.

"You get shot again ET?" asked Charge with a laugh.

"Argh!" yelled ET, his chest objecting to the jump from the yacht to the RHIB.

"How's Bomber and Spider?" asked Kate as she sat down, the RHIB's taking off towards the Hammersley.

"Spider's alright; same as ET," replied Charge, glancing over at ET. "And Bomber passed out but Swaino was giving her a blood transfusion when we left." Kate nodded slowly. The RHIB's had just pulled up alongside the Hammersley when Mike came back up to the bridge.

"Bomber okay sir?" asked Nav.

"Swain reckons she'll be alright. What's going on over here?"

"ET got shot," said Nav bluntly. Mike turned to his navigator quickly.

"He what?"

"Got shot. The RHIB's have arrived back," replied Nikki, pointing outside. Mike nodded and she followed him down to the boat deck. The port RHIB had just been hoisted up off the water. It was the RHIB containing Kate, ET, Charge, RO and the yacht couple.

"Everyone alright?" asked Mike as he drew closer.

"Pretty much, except for Mr Cripple here," joked Charge, motioning to ET. Mike couldn't help but give a small smile after this.

"I'm alright!" insisted ET at this comment. Kate assisted the couple off the yacht first, leading them past Mike and Nikki on the way.

"He's alright," Kate whispered to Nikki as she went past. Nikki turned to face the retreating figure of the X and her best friend and smile before looking to where ET was being helped off.

"ARGH!" he cried out again, one arm across his chest as RO and Charge helped him down. Nikki and Mike moved closer to them.

"Watch out Nav," said Mike softly, helping ET off the ladder himself. ET groaned again before hitting the deck. Even though she could see he was alright, Nikki still couldn't help but worry.

"Are you alright?" she asked in a slightly panicky voice, moving closer as he hit the deck.

"I'm good," he tried smiling but cringed as the boat moved unsteadily.

"Nav, RO, get him below for Swain to have a look. Charge with me," Mike ordered, gesturing towards the bridge.

"Did you have to go get shot, again?" asked Nav, helping him along the deck.

"Hey, I didn't exactly choose to," retorted ET. He noticed the blood streaking Nikki's uniform.

"Did you get hurt?" he asked. Noticing the worry evident in his voice, she laughed a little to herself.

"Bomber's, not mine."

"Is she okay?" asked RO at this comment.

"Boss had to give her blood. Swain thinks she'll be fine," replied Nikki, noticing the edginess of his voice.

_1245 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

"Cracked sternum," said Swain, taking a step back away from ET. ET groaned.

"Not again." He looked over to Spider who was sitting next to him in the Junior Sailors Mess. "Understand how it feels now?" asked ET sarcastically, remembering how much he had been taunted about being in pain after he got shot on Ray Walsman's boat. Spider just grumbled.

Over in the wardroom, Nikki was sitting next to Bomber when she started to stir.

"Bomb? Bomber, can you hear me?"

"Hmph," came the muffled reply. Bomber opened her eyes, blinking at the bright light. "Did I fall asleep?

"You passed out," replied Nikki, stepping closer to her friend. "Do you remember?"

"I remember you continually squeezing my arm incredibly tightly," replied Bomber, a small smile forming on her face.

"I didn't want you to bleed out!" replied Nikki with a laugh. "You had me worried."

"Better me than you," replied Bomber weakly, moving one hand to shield her eyes. Nikki smiled before leaving the room to get Swain. She walked up the corridor to the Junior Sailors Mess where she knew Swain should be.

"Bomber's awake," she smiled happily. Swain nodded before beginning to follow her out. Spider got up to follow too.

"Shouldn't you be sitting down?" asked Nikki, stepping inside the door way.

"I want to see Bomber," replied Spider, groaning as he walked, one arm across his chest. One he left the room, Nikki sat next to ET.

"You really did scare me you know," Nikki told him. He looked at her and smiled.

"I scared you? You scared me! I saw you guys ducking on the deck and while we were closer, you guys were the ones getting all the bullets aimed for you!" ET sighed. "I was thinking bad thoughts. For the both of you." Nikki smiled, patting his leg before getting up and leaving the room.

_There's chapter 22 for you. Like I said, they are running away from me so I'm hoping you don't start getting bored. Please review for me, I will love you forever..._


	23. Chapter 23

_Chapter 23 is up! I hope you enjoy it, I know I'm enjoying writing it. So glad I appear to be well and truly over my writers block. Although I might have just jinxed it..._

_1345 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

Swain was with Spider, talking to Bomber who seemed a lot better than she had just a little while ago. Her arm had stopped bleeding and was in a sling until they were able to get her to a hospital. Mike knocked on the wardroom door, peeking his head in slightly.

"How you feeling Bomber?" he asked, taking a step in the door next to Swain. Spider was sitting beside the bench which Bomber was half sitting, half lying on.

"Better boss. Thank you." Mike nodded, knowing what she was thanking for.

"Swain, can I have a word?" asked Mike. Swain nodded and followed Mike out of the doorway into the corridor. "Coast watch has got a plane up looking for the boat that got away but I want you to see if you can get anything out of the remaining man." Swain nodded.

"Yes Sir." He stuck his head back in the door of the wardroom. "I've got to go talk to the guy from the yacht. You guys alright here?" Bomber and Spider both nodded and Swain headed off in the direction Mike had left a few seconds earlier. Arriving at the austere door, Swain stepped into the room to see Mike standing just off the man, who was cuffed to the bed.

"Are you going to tell us what you were trying to do?" asked Mike, stepping forward slightly. The man didn't respond, a smug smile across his face.

"You nearly killed half my crew! As it is three of them are now injured from your stupidity!" yelled Mike.

"Tell us where your mates are headed," said Swain, looking directly at the man's face but the cuffed man had his eyesight trained on the wall behind Mike and Swain.

"If you're not going to comment, you'll be handed over to the Federal Police when we dock in Cairns. Maybe you'll co-operate more with them," said Mike after the man again said nothing. They both turned to leave when the man spoke.

"I don't know where they are headed, alright?" he said, his voice tinged with a slight foreign accent. Swain and Mike both stopped.

"You don't know where they are headed?" repeated Swain.

"I don't know. They took off before I could even get back onto the boat." Mike looked at Swain.

"What was your plan for the couple on the yacht?" asked Mike firmly. The man looked away, his dark hair falling over his eyes as he contemplated what would happen next.

"Mate, these guys will not protect you. They'll walk away and you'll take the fall and they won't care," said Swain knowingly. The man looked up, realising what Swain had just said.

"I want a deal," he said.

"We can't promise anything," Swain said. "But if you tell us, it will most likely work in your favour." The man sighed.

"People on yacht, they've got money. The plan was to kill them for their money but we weren't expecting them to see us. That's why things got out of hand."

"What did you expect? Did you think they wouldn't notice your boat?" asked Swain, not quite understanding parts of what the man was saying. Mike stayed quiet, leaving it up to his coxswain for questioning.

"We swam over, the boat was behind the island," said the guy. "All we got told to do was poison them and that was it."

"Poison?" asked Swain in alarm, looking towards Mike.

"Are you saying you were paid to do this?" asked Mike. The man didn't say anything but the look on his face gave Mike and Swain the answer they had already assumed. Leaving austere, Mike and Swain stopped in the hall.

"That has got to be connected to Nav's mother Sir," said Swain, his voice a whisper. Mike nodded.

"I'm inclined to agree. Don't disclose this information yet; we'll pass it onto the feds for further investigation." Swain nodded.

_1400 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

Mike headed to the HMAS Hammersley's bridge to take over. Arriving on the bridge, Mike spoke to Charge, who was watching the CCTV footage.

"Everything back online Charge?" asked Mike. Charge pulled his eyes away from the screens he was looking at.

"Still a problem with one of the comms lines. RO might have to take a look at it," teased RO. He rolled his eyes.

"That's not even my job Charge," bit back RO but immediately regretted his words.

"With ET down, you're going to have to take a look RO. We need everything back online ASAP," Mike told him.

"Yes Sir," said RO bluntly, getting up to leave the bridge.

"Alright team. Let's just get back to port," said Mike, slipping into the captain's chair.

_1635 hours, HMAS Hammersley home port_

"All personnel muster on the boat deck," Mike said over the intercom when Hammersley had docked later that afternoon. Nikki groaned.

"I don't want to go!" Mike looked across to his navigator and laughed as he replaced the handset. She was still sitting in her chair and didn't look like she wanted to move.

"You'll be back out at sea soon," he told her with a smile. But deep down he really felt for her; he hated shore postings!

A few minutes later, the crew were all out on the deck where Mike was addressing them. Even Bomber, who was a lot better, was there. ET and Spider were standing with her as they listened. Bomber's arm had stopped bleeding and the three of them were only staying now on the promise that they would all go to hospital straight after.

"I'm very proud of you all today," Mike told his crew. "It was tough and a few of you paid the price for that." Everyone looked over towards ET, Bomber and Spider. "Fortunately, we are all okay and that is the main thing." Next Mike looked across towards Nikki. "And today, we are also losing our navigator to Navcom. Nikki, you have left extremely big shoes to fill!" laughed Mike. The crew joined in his laughing. "But Nikki, on behalf of myself and the crew, we wish you all the best and here's hoping you serve with us again." Nikki smiled as the crew around her cheered. "Alright, enough speeches. We haven't got any confirmed tasks so go and enjoy yourselves." Mike dismissed the crew and Nikki walked to join Mike and Kate.

"I really don't want to go!" she told them with a laugh, a small tear forming in her eyes.

"We don't want you to go either!" smiled Kate. "But you have too." Nikki nodded. She took a step back, saluting them for a final time as her Commanding Officer and Executive Officer.

Nikki saluted as she left the Hammersley for the last time. She couldn't believe how down she felt about it! She had had other postings before but her time on the Hammersley would be something she always treasured. They had really been her family.

"I'm really okay," she could hear Bomber arguing with Swain as she stepped of the gangway.

"You're going to the hospital, Bomber. That's an order," said Mike from behind Nikki, saluting. Bomber grumbled.

"You two alright to take them?" Kate asked Nikki and Swain.

"Come on you cripples," said Nikki beginning to walk slowly to the long term car park. Taking one glance back at the Hammersley before walking off.

_1745 hours, Barry General Hospital_

After waiting a while, ET, Bomber and Spider had all been taken off to be assessed. Nikki and Swain were waiting in the waiting room.

"Buff says they are all at the pub," said Swain, snapping his phone shut.

"Like that's a surprise," said Nikki sarcastically with a smile.

"How did it feel as your last day?" asked Swain. Nikki stayed silent for a moment.

"Eventful," she eventually answered, causing both her and Swain to giggle. "I'm going to miss the Hammersley. And everyone on it."

"You'll get to see us," reassured Swain.

"But it's not the same as being there," replied Nikki. Swain nodded, knowing what she meant.

_1915 hours, Pub_

A few hours later, Nikki and Swain brought ET, Spider and Bomber to meet the crew at the pub for drinks.

"You guys all sorted then?" asked Buffer as they sat down on the lounges with the rest of the crew.

"These two have cracked sternums," Nikki told them, gesturing to Spider and ET. "And Bomber's was just a graze." Bomber had her arm in a sling, but a proper one this time, not like the makeshift one she had been wearing earlier.

"Drinks all round then?" said Charge, standing up. Everyone replied happily, including the injured ones. Until Nikki put a stop to it.

"Oh no you don't," she told them with an evil smile on her face. "You're all on painkillers. No alcohol." They stared at her, willing her to crack but she didn't.

"You probably shouldn't tease them Nik," Kate said from her spot next to Nikki. "You can't drink either!"

"I haven't been able to drink for a while now so I'm used to it," she laughed. Spider grumbled.

"When did you become so heartless?" said ET, groaning softly as he pushed himself further into the lounge.

"Watch it or you'll be sleeping with Ruby," warned Nikki.

"You've been warned mate," said Buffer with a laugh, patting ET on the shoulder.

"Although after seeing where her dog sleeps, it can't be too bad. Ruby is treated like a princess," said Swain, sitting down and ripping the top off his beer. Everyone laughed.

"So, you'll be spending a lot of your time with Darryl Smith," said Mike. Nikki looked up and nodded.

"Actually, my office is right next to his," she replied with a smile, knowing Mike's problems with the guy.

"Hey you," said Tamsin, coming up behind Nikki and putting her hands on her shoulders. Nikki turned around quickly, elbowing ET, who jabbed Spider as he tried to move away from Nikki.

"Ow!" they both groaned.

"What did you do to them?" asked Tamsin, coming around the front of the seats and sitting down.

"You guys all know Tam don't you?" Nikki asked to Hammersley crew.

"Yeah!" replied Buffer. "Only met her once or twice!" Nikki gave him a glare but smiled.

"They all got shot," Nikki said in answer to Tamsin's questions. Tamsin took another look at ET, Spider and Bomber.

"They'll be fun to live with," she said. Nikki nodded.

"So you moved up here?" asked Buffer. Tamsin nodded.

"Couldn't have Nikki getting bored," replied Tamsin. Mike smiled.

"Desk jobs have a tendency to do that to you," he added.

"Oh yeah," agreed Charge.

"Hey!" Nikki cut in. "Feel free to rub it in why don't you?!"

"We should be nicer to her," Kate told the crew. "But they do have a point."

"Not helping Kate!" exclaimed Nikki before turning back towards Tamsin. "Matt still not here yet?"

"No, he's hoping to come up next week. They've all been tied up with this money withdrawal thing." Mike and Swain looked at each other having both just registered the same thing. Mike shook his head slightly to Swain who nodded, something that didn't get past Kate. She looked suss but left it, letting the crew enjoy a well deserved break and relaxing back.

_There's another one done! I know I have said this before but I can't believe how fast the chapters are flying by! I'll try and update ASAP but I've got a couple of articles due that I really need to write and send soon! But I should still be able to update. _

_Thank you so much to those of you who have left your comments; I cannot express how much that means to me. _


	24. Chapter 24

_Here's the next update. Hope it's all okay. Please leave your thoughts/comments. Much appreciated. Dedicated to __**7 **__and __**Parker Girl **__for reviewing last chapter, and all the other chapters. You guys are the best!_

_0925 hours, Navcom_

The next morning, Kate was on her way to Navcom, meeting Mike outside so they could go in and meet Nikki's replacement. Kate was already waiting when Mike climber the steps to join her.

"Morning Kate," he greeted. She nodded.

"You're late."

"Good morning to you too!" he chuckled. "I had something to do. And we've still got 5 minutes."

"Wouldn't have anything to do with that man that we picked up yesterday would it?" asked Kate. Mike turned around and faced her squarely. He could see by the determined look on her face that she knew something was up.

"What do know?" he asked her, wondering how she knew.

"Nothing," she replied. "But I can tell when things are up."

"I'll talk to you about it later," he decided. She nodded and the two walked into Navcom.

"Mike, Kate," said Commander Marshall as soon as he walked in. Lieutenant Darryl Smith was standing next to him, as was a familiar blonde woman, all wearing whites.

"Morning Sir," they both greeted.

"Won't drag it out," said Marshall. "This is Lieutenant Caetano's replacement, Cyn..."

"Cynthia Luxton," finished Mike. "I remember, the training drills."

"You remembered Lieutenant Commander," replied Luxton with a smile.

"Lieutenant Luxton will be joining the Hammersley when you next set sail," Marshall told Mike and Kate.

"Any idea when that would be?" asked Mike.

"Monday," piped up Darryl. Mike nodded. Given it was only Friday, he knew the crew would be happy to have a few days in their home port.

"As for your injured sailors, you'll be getting temporary replacements for the chef and electronics technician," continued Marshall. Mike nodded.

"I'll let my crew know," said Mike and Marshall nodded.

_0940 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Nikki waltzed passed the kitchen the next morning, spotting Bomber as she passed.

"Bomber!" she exclaimed, heading into the kitchen. "You are not meant to be doing the cooking!"

"I'm not," replied Bomber. "I'm loading the dishwasher." Nikki rolled her eyes before pushing Bomber out of the kitchen.

"Just go and sit down or something!" demanded Nikki. Bomber grumbled as she sat on one of the stools at the breakfast bench.

"Why has being pregnant made you so pushy?!"

"Well, there has to be some advantage to getting fat and not being able to drink," replied Nikki. "We are perfectly capable of cooking _and _doing the dishes," Nikki added, picking up a plate and putting it into the half filled dishwasher. Nikki's mobile was on the bench just in front of Bomber when it rang.

"Do you want me to answer it?" asked Bomber. Nikki nodded and Bomber reached across with her left arm, the one that wasn't restrained in a sling, and picked it up.

"Hello, Nikki's phone." Bomber was silent for a moment as she listened to the caller. "You're what?" This caused Nikki to look up from the dishwasher. "I'll be okay, honestly!" Nikki was now extremely curious as to what Bomber and the caller were talking about. On her phone! "How long?" continued Bomber. "Oh, but that's not fair!"

"Who is it?" asked Nikki, walking over to the bench.

"Here X, I'll put Nik on for you," said Bomber, holding the mobile out to Nikki. "It's Kate, who won't let me go back to work!" Nikki smiled and laughed quietly as she spoke into the phone.

"Who won't let you what?" asked ET as he walked in to the kitchen from the hallway.

"Apparently I'm not allowed back at work for 4 weeks!" complained Bomber. ET laughed.

"Four weeks?" repeated ET, kissing Nikki on the forehead as he passed to get a glass of juice from the fridge. He was still laughing.

"Don't you laugh. You're not allowed back for four weeks either!" added Bomber, an evil smile across her face. ET groaned as he turned around, pulling his head from the bridge.

"What?" he demanded. They both turned to Nikki.

"Ugh, they're giving me the evils," Nikki told Kate. "It wasn't my decision!" she told the two faces staring at her.

"Great," groaned ET as he reached done to get a glass from the cupboard, hissing in pain as he did so. Nikki gently pushed him out of the way and got one out for him as well as one for Bomber.

"And that is why you can't go back to work," she told him, earning herself a glare before she walked off down the hallway. Bomber groaned herself, putting her head on the bench.

"Ow!" she cried as she leant on her bad arm, causing ET to laugh.

"And that's why _you _can't go to work."

_Monday morning  
0645 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Nikki was determined to keep sleeping. She could feel that it was time to get up and start getting ready but she tried to ignore that thought for longer. Eventually opening her eyes, Nikki sat up slowly in bed. _I never have a problem with getting up early, _she thought to herself. _It's because I have to run on no coffee. _She looked over the other side of the bed and saw ET was still asleep. Smiling to herself, she picked up her pillow and wacked him on the head with it. ET's eyes flew open almost instantly.

"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes and sitting up slightly groaning as he did. Nikki looked towards the bedside clock.

"0645." ET turned to face her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her worriedly, suddenly seeming more awake. He was sure something must have been wrong for her to be waking him up so early when neither were on call.

"I'm fine," Nikki laughed. "But it's time to get up." ET groaned.

"Do you know how many times you elbowed me last night?" ET asked Nikki, turning towards her.

"I have to share my side of the bed with two people!" bit back Nikki.

"Oh come on, you're not that big!" replied ET with a laugh. "What are you going to do when you've got more than just a small bump? Kick me out completely?" He looked scared when Nikki appeared to be thinking about this. "I was joking," he put in quickly. Nikki laughed.

"I wouldn't kick you out!" she insisted. "If I did, who would I get to elbow in the middle of the night?!" ET laughed as Nikki pulled herself out of bed, a pyjama singlet showing her small bump. "Come on, I've got to go and see Mike before Hammersley leaves."

_0700 hours, Kitchen_

Both Nikki and ET had allowed themselves s few more minutes to wake themselves up before leaving the bedroom. Opening the door, Nikki could smell breakfast cooking.

"Someone's up," she said pausing at the door. ET came up behind her.

"No bacon that I can sense," said ET with a smile. Nikki grinned. Bacon was currently her biggest turn off. The smell was enough to send her running for the bathroom. Just then, Tamsin's door opened and a sleepy looking Tam stepped out. Nikki took one look and realised who must be cooking. Her thoughts were confirmed when Spider opened his own bedroom door.

"Bomber," she said softly, heading off down the hall to the kitchen. Tamsin looked to ET and the others followed Nikki down the hall.

After Bomber had been pushed into a chair and Nikki and Tamsin had taken over cooking, they chatted about the day ahead.

"So what are you three going to do, bored at home?" teased Nikki. This comment earned her three glares.

"Well, I'm going to go and pick Matt up from the airport," said Tamsin, the grin that was already on her face growing wider.

"He's coming today?" asked Nikki excitedly and jumping up to hug Tamsin when she nodded.

"Did they find out who was taking the money?" asked Spider before putting a piece of toast in his mouth.

"Mmm, no they haven't I don't think. But they are meant to be calling me back today," answered Tamsin.

"Cool. Well, I'm going to go and get ready because I've got to meet Marshall to go and see the Hammersley," said Nikki, heading back down the hallway.

_0855 hours, Navcom_

Nikki arrived early for her first day of work, having dropped Swain off to the Hammersley on her way. She headed into the building.

"Morning Lieutenant," said Marshall as he saw her arrive.

"Good morning Sir," she replied.

"Well, we've got a busy day ahead of us. Go put your things in your office and then you can come with me to the Hammersley." Nikki nodded before walking to the office she had been assigned a few weeks before. She nearly bumped in Lieutenant Darryl Smith as he came out of his own office next door.

"Morning Lieutenant," he said and she greeted him back. He stepped back and opened her office door for her. "You're going with Marshall this morning?"

"Yes," replied Nikki, not sure where this was going.

"Okay. Well, welcome to Navcom," he smiled before walking off. Nikki pondered what had just happened for a moment before putting her things on the desk and walking back out to rejoin Marshall, who was now standing with Darryl and three other people.

"Lieutenant," said Marshall, noticing her approach. "You and I are going to bring these people down to the Hammersley; they are filling in the positions on board."

"Chefo?!" exclaimed Nikki, noticing the familiar figure.

"Of course Nikki," he smiled. "Haven't seen you in a long time."

"Yeah! Now I'm guessing you'd be Bomber's replacement?"

"If Bomber's the chef than yes," he replied. Nikki laughed.

"You know Lieutenant Luxton," said Marshall, gesturing towards Cynthia. "She is taking over your position."

"Of course," Nikki smiled, shaking hands. Nikki thought back to the last time Luxton had been on board. The crew were sure going to be in for a surprise when they met her replacement!

"And this is Leading Seaman Leo Kosov-Meyer," said Marshall, referring to the other man. "He's filling in for Leading Seaman Holiday whilst he's injured." Nikki nodded shaking hands with ET's replacement. Before long, the three newbies and Nikki and Marshall drove to the port, where the Hammersley was alive with sailors preparing to depart. Mike and the crew were mustered on the deck, awaiting the arrival. Marshall walked down the gangway, followed by Nikki and the new crew members.

"Chef and second medic replacement, Able Seaman Toby Jones," introduced Marshall.

"Good to have you back with the Hammersley, Chefo," said Mike.

"Pleasure to be back Sir," replied Chefo. The new electronics technician was introduced before the Hammersley crew got introduced to their new permanent addition. Nikki saw the look on Buffer's face as Luxton was re-introduced to the crew. It was a look of shock.

"Alright, Hammersley, let's sail!" declared Mike as he dismissed the crew. Marshall and Nikki left the Hammersley a short time later, with Nikki stealing a glance back at the Hammersley before hopping in the car. It seemed odd watching the patrol boat prepare to leave without her. _Get a grip, _she told herself. _Things are different now. _

_That's it for now. Now, don't ask why I ended up bringing Chefo, Luxton and 2Dads into it. It just kind of happened! And I know that Luxton was a Lieutenant Commander or whatever but for the purpose of this story, she got, I don't know, demoted! _

_I'll try and update soon. Please let me know what you think. I really want to know. _


	25. Chapter 25

_Here's is the next chapter for you. Please let me know what you think. _

_1000 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

ET, Bomber, Spider and Tamsin were sitting out on the undercover area of the backyard.

"This is just not fair," said Bomber suddenly. The other three looked up. Tamsin laughed.

"Look at you all. Anyone would think you didn't have a life!" she laughed, standing up.

"I do have a life," replied Spider.

"Mmm, sure. Well, I'm going to leave you all to wallow in your boredom. I've got to go and pick Matt up."

"I'll come," said ET almost instantly, jumping at the chance to do something. Tamsin laughed again.

"Are you seriously that bored?"

"What do you think?" he replied.

"All right. Let me go get my bag then," replied Tamsin, heading in the side door.

"All right, that's it. I'm taking Ruby for a walk," declared Bomber.

"Me too," said Spider, jumping up quickly but groaning as the pain set in again.

"Smart one," Bomber told him before reaching to unhook the little dogs lead from the hook on the wall. ET burst out in a fit of laughter as he watched Bomber and Spider attempted to put Ruby on a lead. While the well-trained Ruby was sitting patiently, Spider couldn't bend over far enough to clip the lead on and Bomber couldn't get it on with only one hand.

"You know you're supposed to be resting?" said Tamsin, reappearing. They looked up at her. "Nikki's going to kill you," she continued.

"Not if you don't tell her," said Spider.

"Just at least wait until I've gone because at least then I can say that I had no idea you'd done it," said Tamsin, walking out the gate to the lock-up garage, ET following close behind.

_1330 hours, Navcom_

Nikki was sitting in her new office, still trying to get used to it. The last time she had spent time in an office was when she had worked more for the family company whilst she studied at ADFA when she was 18. And now, at 26, that was a long time ago! The last time she had been in a shore posting, she had been in the outer area of the building with many other Navy staff members. She was currently typing up one of the many tasks she had already been handed that morning. Nikki looked up when there was a knock at the door.

"You are entitled to lunch breaks you know," said Lieutenant Smith. Nikki laughed.

"Yeah, I just wanted to get these medic refresher courses finished," she replied, moving the computer's mouse slightly.

"Already? They normally take days!" he replied with a laugh. "Go, go have lunch." Nikki sighed before thinking about eating. She had been so busy that she hadn't even realised she was hungry.

"Thanks," she told Darryl, saving her file and pushing back from the desk.

_1400 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

"I am so happy you are finally here!" exclaimed Tamsin excitedly as she came out to the undercover area, kissing Matt on the head as she sat down.

"I had noticed," replied Matt in a teasing voice.

"I take it work hasn't been much fun of late," said ET from his seat. Matt, who had Ruby on the seat next to him, ruffled the little dogs' fur and nodded.

"Having to put a whole new security system and shutting everything down is enough but then losing more money. At least it's stopped now," he replied.

"And they haven't got any idea who's taking it?" said ET unbelievingly.

"The federal police are fairly certain that the guy who you guys brought in the other day is involved somehow. Although they have said that they just think he was a worker, not into the bigger picture," replied Matt, not noticing ET's confused police. "Except he has been cleared for Mum's death because he was in Western Australia at the time."

"What guy?" Matt looked up at noticed his sister's fiancé's face as well as his girlfriends. He swallowed the water he had just taken into his mouth.

"They haven't told you?"

"Told us what?" asked Tamsin, confused by this seemingly new turn of events.

"Oh, I thought you'd have been told. The man that was brought onto the HMAS Hammersley, the one that shot you," started Matt nodding at ET. "He apparently was working for someone who was planning to poison the people on the yacht you guys intercepted. Because they had money."

"Wait, poison?" said Tamsin in a rushed voice, not quite believing what she was hearing.

"Yeah. And you weren't told?" asked Matt again. ET and Tamsin shook their heads.

"Now Nik's got even more reason to hate those guys," said Tamsin.

"I assumed that she would have been told through Navy headquarters," said Matt, shaking his head in disbelief. "We've known this since the day after you brought the guy in."

"So why wouldn't they have told Nikki at the very least?" questioned Tamsin. "She was one who got shot at by the guys."

"She what?" asked Matt in a stunned voice.

"He doesn't know that?" said ET to Tamsin pointing to Matt.

"Um yeah, I didn't tell you that part," said Tamsin in a guilty voice. "Nikki was with Bec when she got shot but she avoided being hit."

"You're kidding right?" ET and Tamsin both shook their heads. _Typical Nikki, _thought Matt. _Still has to continue with her job, despite it all. _

_1525 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Nikki arrived home later that afternoon, parking her car in the garage and locked the doors before heading inside.

"Hello?" called out Nikki into the empty house. She turned to look behind her, wondering if the cars had been in the driveway.

"Hello you," said ET, swooping past behind her, causing her to whirl around. He kissed her before putting the glass he had been holding on the bench.

"Where is everyone?" asked Nikki.

"Okay, hi Josh, how are you? Did you have good day?" said ET in a playful day. Nikki smiled and tilted her head.

"I'm sorry. How are you?" she asked, taking a few steps and giving him a kiss on the cheek as he leant on the bench.

"Bored," he laughed. "How was your first day?"

"Really good. Lots to do though," she replied, opening the cupboard underneath her and pulling a glass out.

"You're not over working yourself, are you?" asked ET seriously.

"No!" laughed Nikki. "Stop worrying so much."

"I'm allowed too," he replied, pulling the glass out of her hand. "Here, I'll get you a drink, you go get changed." Nikki kissed him on the cheek again before leaving. She joined the others on the back deck a few minutes later.

"Look at you!" said Matt as soon as she came out. "You are definitely looking bigger!"

"Oh thanks!" said Nikki, hugging her brother. "Why is it that every time I see someone now that they say hello to me with "well aren't you looking even bigger!"

"Just what happens, hun," said Tamsin, breezing past.

"So what did you guys gets up to today?" asked Nikki, directing her comment to ET, Bomber and Spider.

"Oh, it was great. Just hung out here," said ET, shifting in his seat.

"Mmm, caught up on some rest," added Bomber.

"Yeah, watched a few movies," contributed Spider.

"Right, so why was it when I called here between 10.30 and 12.00, no one answered?" questioned Nikki. ET looked at Bomber, as did Spider.

"Okay, we went out for while," admitted Bomber. "Spider and I took Ruby for a walk and ET went with Tam to pick up Matt." Nikki shook her head, knowing that she would never have been able to keep them from doing things.

"So, how was your first day?" asked Tamsin, hoping to draw attention away from the previous conversation.

"Busy. I've already got a mountain of stuff to do," replied Nikki, sitting down. Ruby immediately strolled over and danced at Nikki's feet.

"Mmm, that doesn't sound like you," said Matt sarcastically. He looked over at Josh. "Nik, have you spoken to the federal police?"

"About what?" asked Nikki, taking a sip of her drink.

"The man that you got the other day, the one that shot everyone, they think he's got something to do with the money going missing," he said slowly. "And Mum." Nikki's face was frozen, trying to absorb this new information.

"Can they charge him?" asked Nikki eventually. Matt sighed before shaking his head.

"No, they think he's just a worker in it. And apparently he was in WA when Mum died."

"So those guys, the ones that we let get away, are involved with what happened to Mum?" asked Nikki again, still shocked by this new turn of events. "I need to talk to the feds," she said suddenly, getting up and marching into the house.

"I'll go," said Matt, standing up and following his sister. He entered the house and immediately headed for his sister's bedroom, knocking softly on the half-open door.

"Matt..." she began saying but he interrupted her.

"You're not going to be able to do anything," he told her.

"Want to bet?"

"The police aren't going to be able to tell you any more than what I've already told you because that is all they know," he insisted, taking a step further into the room. Nikki didn't say anything for a few moments.

"This is not fair," she eventually squeaked out, her voice becoming strangled by the underlying tears that were threatening to surface at any moment.

"I know," said Matt, moving over to envelope his sister in a hug. "I know."

"I just want my old life back," sobbed Nikki. "It's like one thing goes wrong, everything goes wrong. Suddenly we find out we have a heart condition, I have to give up the life I love at sea, I lost Mum and nearly lost Josh all in the space of months." She was shaking with tears by now. "Nothing in my life is positive. And I've failed Mum because I didn't find out what happened to her."

"You did not fail Mum," said Matt firmly, pulling his sister away from him to look at her face. "You did not fail her. She would be so proud of you. And they haven't given up finding the truth; look at what you did to help the case, even if you didn't know it." Nikki, despite the tears, held his gaze as she listened. "And you need to focus on the positives. I know I am. For one thing you're finally making me an uncle!" Nikki laughed.

"I know you're right. It's just hard." Matt nodded.

"And it'll probably get harder. But you need to learn to lean on others. We're all here for you." Nikki nodded before hugging her brother. _Another moment of weakness, _she thought to herself. _This is starting to become a habit. _And she hated it.

_Another chapter done. I keep feeling like it's starting to drag on so I might try and start shortening it. It's up to you guys though; let me know your opinions on it. _


	26. Chapter 26

_Another update! Finished up the article I was writing so I can get back to doing this! Not sure if I'll get an update up tomorrow; fingers crossed I do but I can't make any promises. A busy day ahead. Thank you so much to those who have been reading and reviewing. _

_Three weeks later  
0840 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

Instead of having to wait a month, Spider and ET had both been cleared to return to work, irritating Bomber who had not only been forbidden to return yet, had had an extra week added to her recovery time. Her arm was taking its time healing and try as she might, she couldn't find a way to get back to work.

"Morning Buffer," said Nikki happily as she came up the boarding ramp for the Hammersley.

"Hey Nikki," said Buffer slowly in reply. Nikki looked at him oddly.

"You alright?" she asked. He laughed before nodding.

"Yeah, was just about to call you 'Nav' that's all," he replied. Nikki laughed.

"How is your new me, anyway?" she questioned.

"Good. Different but," he replied with a smile.

"No one could ever be the same as me!" she replied teasingly. "Mike here?" Buffer laughed before nodding.

"Yeah, he was up on the bridge." Nikki thanked him before taking the familiar steps up to the bridge.

"Nikki, you're back!" exclaimed a voice from down the corridor. Nikki turned to see Swain coming up toward her.

"Sort of," she replied, holding up the A4 envelope in her hands. "Paperwork for Mike." Nikki couldn't help but think every time she spoke about the Hammersley's captain, she had to think carefully and remember that he was no longer her boss. She had spent that long calling him 'Boss' that it was hard to call him anything different.

"He's going to love that," said Swain sarcastically, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Here, I'll escort you to the bridge, not that you need me to show you the way." Nikki laughed and followed the coxswain up, taking in as much of the familiar surroundings as she could. "Uh, Boss. You've got a visitor," declared Swain as he climbed the stairs to the bridge. Mike and just about everyone else turned around at this comment.

"Morning Nikki," greeted Mike standing up from the captains' chair. "Missing us already?"

"You ever doubted that?" replied Nikki with a smile. "Unfortunately I'm here for Commander Marshall." She held up the paperwork.

"Oh, great," groaned Mike. "Does it ever stop?"

"Afraid not," replied Nikki. "And one question; are you ready to take Bomber back because driving us nuts at home?" Mike laughed.

"I bet." He turned his head at the phone ringing before looking back. "I've been meaning to ask, has there been any more progression into your mother's death?" Nikki shook her head.

"They're trying to track down the boat but so far no luck."

"They'll get there. Anyway, I better get back to work. Good to see you though," he told her.

"You too Sir." Nikki left the Hammersley's bridge, catching a quick glance at everyone working away before she left; RO at the communication board, Charge in the corner, Luxton at the helm and Mike in the captains chair.

_2130 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

"Oh, this is the horrible part!" exclaimed Nikki, closing her eyes as she watched a horror movie with Bomber, Matt and Tamsin.

"Are you serious? This is not even scary!" replied Matt. "See." Nikki opened her eyes slightly to see what he was talking about and gasped, quickly shutting them again. Matt laughed.

"Don't be so mean," Tamsin told him, hitting him. The movie took another scary turn and this time it was Tamsin who jumped.

"You guys are such wimps!" declared Matt with a laugh. Nikki picked up the cushion on the couch next to her and threw it at her brother. Tamsin threw one at him too and he began tickling her, making her to squeal.

"Well, I'm going to bed," said Bomber, yawning.

Good idea, I'm so exhausted," agreed Nikki, groaning as she stood. "Ow!" she cried out as soon as she stood, causing Matt and Tamsin to look up and Bomber to turn around.

"Are you alright?" asked Tamsin. Bomber took a step closer. Nikki smiled.

"The baby kicked," she laughed. While she was happy at such a milestone, she couldn't help but feel sad at ET having missed it. Tamsin quickly jumped up and she and Bomber both felt the kicks. A little later, Nikki was in bed, missing the familiar warmth from the other side of the bed. She was rarely apart from Josh; they were together on the Hammersley, shore leave, holidays. This was the first time in so long that she was alone. She shuffled over to his side of the bed, breathing in the familiar scent from his pillow, drifting off to sleep.

_0800 hours, ET, Nikki, Bomber and Spider's house_

Nikki awoke from a restless sleep. She had tossed and turned all night, not ever being able to settle into a comfortable sleep. Slipping on her fluffy slippers, Nikki descended down the hallway slowly, hearing voices from the kitchen.

"Oh my god, you look terrible!" exclaimed Tamsin as Nikki came into the kitchen. Matt, who was standing with his back turned next to Tamsin in the kitchen, turned around.

"Did you sleep at all?" he asked, taking in his sister's tired expression. While normally she'd have argued, Nikki was too exhausted to debate it. She simply shook her head, sinking down into the stool at the kitchen bench next to Bomber.

"Why don't you go back to bed?" asked Tamsin, coming over and rubbing Nikki's back.

"No," replied Nikki, lifting her head up from the bench. "I've got things to do." Matt was now leaning on the opposite side of the bench.

"Might as well give it up now Tam," he told his girlfriend. "She's got that determined look."

"She's got that exhausted look," added Bomber, picking up her plate with her good arm and walking to put it in the dishwasher.

"Look, I'm fine alright. I just didn't sleep very well," Nikki told them, trying, but to sound encouraging but failing miserably. "I'm going to go get ready."

"At least have some..." started Matt but Nikki had already flounced out of the kitchen again. "Breakfast."

_0830 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

"What do you think of being on the new Hammersley, Chefo?" asked Spider as he passed the galley.

"Doing just fine Spide," replied Chefo. "Bit different to when I served with any of you guys before though."

"Hands to boarding stations, hands to boarding stations," came Luxton's voice through the intercom.

"That'd be me," said Chefo, throwing the tea towel he was holding onto the bench.

"Oh come on! Surely it can't be that bad," came ET's voice down the hallway as he trailed behind Buffer.

"ET, you and Spider are to remain onboard until it is deemed necessary," replied Buffer. "Not my orders." ET stopped next to Spider outside the galley as Chefo came out the door.

"You guys have fun... here... while we go and get the bad guys," smiled Chefo. "And if you get bored, you can always clean the galley!" ET rolled his eyes.

"I can't see myself getting that bored!" he yelled down the hallway in the direction Chefo had just left. "This is not fair," he told Spider before walking off.

_0910 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

"Hey Bomber, I'll take you to your doctor's appointment," announced Nikki as she re-entered the kitchen a while later.

"Where are you going?" asked Matt, noticing his sister's clothes. She was wearing black pants, heels and a short suit jacket which was split at the bottom, revealing her bump. The sunglasses on top her head loosely pulled back strands of hair while the rest hung loosely around her shoulders.

"Just out for a while," replied Nikki, knowing full well that she wasn't going to get that past Tamsin.

"Okay, unless you're going for a job interview or an important meeting, why would you be so dressed up?" said Tamsin, putting down the newspaper she was reading.

"Just trust me okay," Nikki told them. "You ready to go?" Nikki asked Bomber.

"Sure," said Bomber quickly, pushing herself up with one arm from the stool. The pair left the house and Matt and Tamsin waited until they heard her car start before talking further.

"Just trust me?" said Tamsin, repeating Nikki's words questioningly. Matt just shook his head and turned back to the coffee machine he was using.

_0945 hours, Australian Federal Police Headquarters_

Nikki had dropped Bomber off at the doctors and promised to pick her up later. Meanwhile, Nikki was waiting at the AFP headquarters to discuss the investigation into her mother's death.

"Ms Caetano?" Nikki turned at hearing her name. She nodded. "We weren't expecting you this early," said a woman with short blonde hair. "The officers are busy at this moment but they'll be with you shortly."

"That's fine," replied Nikki with a smile. "I'm early anyway." The woman returned Nikki's smile before disappearing back behind the door. As she waited, Nikki twisted her engagement ring and found herself thinking about her Mum. Just odd thoughts; the time when she was injured and her Mum told her the cure was shopping.

***FLASHBACK***

"What on earth have you done to yourself now?" said Lucia Caetano as she entered the emergency ward of the Cairns Hospital, Ryan behind her. Nikki laughed.

"Mum, I'm fine, honestly," replied Nikki with a smile. "There really was no need to come up."

"Fine? I spoke to your captain who tells me you have a broken leg and ankle, a head injury and shrapnel wounds!" said Lucia seriously.

"And three broken ribs," added Ryan. Lucia turned to face her son so she missed the glare Nikki shot him.

"My point exactly!" Lucia shook her head. "Do you have to keep injuring yourself?"

"You make it sound like I try!" Nikki replied. "And I haven't injured myself in ages!"

"So you weren't the one that needed a new car after she crashed her old one?"

"That wasn't even my fault! That guy pulled out of nowhere!" retorted Nikki. "And this happened at work; I never get injured at work." Lucia just shook her head.

"Come on then, you've been in bed for 2 days now. I'll give you a real cure," Lucia told her youngest child. Nikki and Ryan both looked confused and looked at each other. "Shopping!" added Lucia.

***END FLASHBACK***

Nikki smiled at this memory. Despite how much it had hurt, she had had so much fun with her mum that day. Especially as she made Ryan, who had been dragged along for the expedition, carry her bags.

"Ms Caetano, you can come in now," said the lady with short blonde hair. Nikki reached to pick up her handbag and put it over her shoulder as she stood. She thanked the lady before stepping into the room she was ushered into. It was empty and Nikki stood as she waited. A moment later, the door re-opened and Nikki whipped her head around at the noise.

"Ms Caetano, Marcus Andrews, this is my partner Christine Gregory," said the man as he came in. Nikki reached to shake their hands. "Please take a seat," he added.

"Thank you. And please call me Nikki," she told them as she sat down in one of the chairs.

"And congratulations," added Christine, nodding towards Nikki's belly.

"Thank you," replied Nikki with a smile, despite the fact that she just wanted to get on with it.

"We're the officers who have taken on the investigations in relation to your mother's death," said Marcus. Nikki nodded. "There's not really much we can tell you."

"But what about the man that the HMAS Hammersley brought in a few weeks ago?" asked Nikki, her voice tinged with a slight annoyance already at their lack of new information. Marcus looked to his partner and sighed.

"Unfortunately, we were unable to get any information from him as to who he was working for," he told Nikki.

"And without that information, we can't trace anything back," added Christine. "And we can't charge him for your mother's death because he has a water-tight alibi."

"So what are you saying?" asked Nikki, her voice now showing obvious annoyance.

"I'll assure you that we have not closed this case. But for now." Marcus stopped. "For now, there is no other leads of investigation we can pursue."

"So that's it?" asked Nikki angrily.

"Until something new comes to light, there isn't any more we can do," replied Christine. "I'm sorry." Nikki just shook her head and stood up.

"Well thank you for your time," she told them, although she didn't mean it. They hadn't done anything. She left the building and walked to her car, unlocking the doors and getting in. She didn't start the engine though. _Well, if they won't do anything about it, _thought Nikki to herself, _I'll just do it for myself. _

_Well, that's that chapter done and it felt so long! I'm leaving Brisbane for Sydney again tomorrow (fingers crossed I have a better flight this time!) so I'm not sure if I'll be updating. Sorry! Please read and review. _


	27. Chapter 27

_I'm back! My flight got delayed this morning so I partially wrote this chapter while waiting at the Brisbane airport. But when I arrived in Sydney and went to write more, I found that only half of what I had written had saved! So I had to re-write. Apologies in advance for any mistakes; I am exhausted. _

_1030 hours, Barry General Hospital_

Nikki was back to pick up Bomber. She made her way through the hospital corridor to the waiting room, where Bomber was already waiting as an out-patient.

"Have you been checked out?" asked Nikki as she walked over to where Bomber was sitting. Bomber nodded and stood up.

"Did you beat whoever it was you were going to have it out with?" asked Bomber with a smile as they walked the corridor out. Nikki turned to face her friend; the only sound that could be heard was the clip of Nikki's heels on the cold hospital floor. Nikki shook her head with a smile.

"Who said I was having it out with anyone?" replied Nikki, smiling as she stared straight ahead. They had reached the outside of the hospital now and were making their way across the car park to Nikki's car.

"Oh come on!" replied Bomber, a few metres away from Nikki's car. "With the way you left this morning, it wasn't half obvious. So, did you?" Nikki unlocked the car as they approached and walked to the driver's door. She opened her door and hesitated.

"I just found out what I needed to do," replied Nikki with a smile, hopping into the car. Bomber rolled her eyes before hopping into the passenger's side.

"You love toying with me, don't you?" said Bomber as she reached to pull on her seatbelt. Nikki clicked on her own before selecting the right key.

"What can I say? It's fun," smiled Nikki, putting the key into the ignition and starting the car.

_1040 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Tamsin was sitting at the outside table, working on her laptop whilst Matt was going through the real estate listings in front of him.

"What about this one?" he asked her, holding up the brochure in front of her.

"Yep, great," replied Tamsin, reading the piece of paper in front of her any typing at the same time, not looking up at the brochure Matt was showing her.

"You didn't even look Tam." Tamsin sighed and looked up at him, taking the brochure and glancing over it.

"Mmm, it's nice, although I like this one better," she said, pointing to the one below it. Matt looked at it and put the brochure down.

"Okay, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong!" she replied, trying to insist. "Really." He raised his eyebrows and she sighed. "Okay, it's Nikki. What on earth is she doing?"

"I don't know. But she's a big girl; she can take care of herself," he replied, putting down a stapled piece of paper on the table.

"But you saw her this morning. She was like a woman on a mission!"

"She said to trust her," he added.

"That just makes me worry more!" replied Tamsin. "Whenever someone says 'Just trust me,' bad news usually follows."

"We'll find out what she's up to," said Matt, standing up. "In the meantime, just stop stressing! Do you want a coffee?" Tamsin sighed and watched as he went into the house. Ruby came over to Tamsin, wanting attention. Tam looked down and picked her up.

"What is she up to, huh?" Tamsin said to the little dog. "You're not going to give much of an answer are you? Come on, I'll take you for a walk."

_1100 hours_

Nikki and Bomber were almost home, having stopped to get petrol on the way. As she came around the corner from her house, Nikki spotted her best friend walking Ruby along the pathway. She pulled up the car and Bomber put her window down.

"You didn't kill anyone?" asked Tamsin as she pulled Ruby over and leant on the window. Nikki laughed.

"No, but I'll tell you all about it when you get home." Tamsin nodded and Nikki moved the car forward, swinging the car into her driveway a few metres up. Making her way out the backyard, she spotted her brother sitting at the back table, drinking coffee.

"What's wrong with Tam?" asked Nikki, pulling of her sunglasses and putting them on top her head. Matt turned around as she and Bomber came further into the backyard, sitting down at the table.

"You," he replied, watching as his sister sat. She frowned.

"Me?"

"Yes you. She's spent the morning dreading what you were doing," he told her. "Because as she put it, you looked like a woman on a mission." He gave her a deep look. "And she's right." Nikki sighed.

"I was," she admitted. "I went and saw the AFP."

"You did what?!" demanded Matt. Bomber took this as her opportunity to leave.

"I might just leave you guys to it. I'll go make some lunch."

"Don't you dare go near that kitchen!" called out Nikki as Bomber left, before turning back to her conversation with her brother. "I went and saw the AFP," she repeated calmly.

"I could have come with you if you had of told me!" he said back.

"I wanted to do it by myself," she retorted.

"Nikki, this isn't just about you. We're all involved," he told her, taking a deep breath. He realised there was going to be no point in arguing; what was done was done. "So what did they say?"

"That they're not going to be investigating anymore," she replied.

"They said that?" he asked incredibly.

"Pretty much. They said something about no more leads so unless more come up, then there's nothing they can do."

"That doesn't mean they aren't investigating it further!" replied Matt. Nikki stood up, shaking her head.

"That's crap Matt and you know it. That is exactly what it means!" she almost yelled. Not wanting to argue with him any further, she took herself inside.

_1230 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

ET walked down one of the Hammersley's corridors and stopped outside the room. He was about to knock on the door to see if anyone was in there when he heard a voice.

"You can go in," said RO. "There's no one in there at the moment."

"Thanks RO," replied ET pushing on the door handle.

"Hey ET," said RO just as ET had opened the door slightly. ET stopped and turned to look at RO. "Is Nikki alright? I mean, with everything that's happened." ET didn't answer straight away. It wasn't a RO sort of question.

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "I really don't." RO nodded and walked off down the corridor, leaving ET still standing at the door. He moved towards one of the computers and logged onto his email, checking his new messages.

_1245 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

Matt was still sitting at the outside table when Tamsin arrived back.

"Is she back?" asked Tamsin, taking another glance over her shoulder towards the garage. Matt nodded. "So what did she do?"

"She went and saw the AFP," replied Matt. "Anyway, where did you go?" he leant over to unclip Ruby from her lead and the little dog went bounding away.

"For a walk," she replied. "And I found the perfect house on the way!" Matt laughed.

"Let me guess, it's not for sale?" he replied with a smile, laughing at this new energy that Tamsin appeared to have.

"No, it is!" she replied. It's like, 2 doors up from here. And there's a for sale sign!"

"You can come show me this then," replied Matt, hoisting himself up from the seat.

"And what did you mean by Nikki went and saw the AFP?"

"I'll explain on the way," he replied, pushing her gently out of the gate.

_1425 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

"Sir, from Navcom," said RO, passing a piece of paper to Mike. Mike took the paper from RO and sighed.

"Alright, plot this," he told Luxton who was sitting at the navigation console.

"Yes Sir," she replied, taking the paper and plotting the course.

"We've got to turn around. Possible illegal entry vessel," Mike told Kate as Swain shouted back the altered course.

"So we're not heading home?" added Kate. Mike shook his head.

"Seems not X." He picked up the intercom hand piece. "Here there, captain speaking. We're altering course to intercept a suspected foreign entry vessel. Boarding party to make preparations."

_1430 hours, ET, Nikki, Spider and Bomber's house_

"Can I at least cook some muffins?" whined Bomber as she sat on the couch. Nikki was sitting at the dining room table nearby, typing away on her laptop.

"No," she replied, not even looking up.

"But I'm fine!" insisted Bomber.

"You might be but you're not doing any work until the doctor says you can," she replied. "At least not until you're sling is off anyway."

"One week," grumbled Bomber.

"Hey Bomber," asked Nikki with a smile a few minutes later. Bomber turned around to face her. "Want to go out for a cruise?"

"A cruise?" repeated Bomber, confused.

"Yeah, on a yacht. Around the harbour maybe." Nikki was quite enthusiastic about the idea. With two weeks leave still remaining, she had to find something to fill in the time. _And it might give me more ideas on where to go with finding out the truth, _thought Nikki to herself. Although she didn't say the last part out loud.

"We spend half our lives at sea!" replied Bomber.

"For work, yes. But this will be for fun!" insisted Nikki. "We'll take Tam with us, and Sally. A girls' day out." Bomber thought about this for a moment and shrugged her shoulders.

"Why not, got nothing better to do."

"Great!" exclaimed Nikki, pushing back her chair and walking off. "I'm going to go and see Sally."

***

_Another chapter done. Thank you so much to everyone that has been commenting. Please continue and anyone that hasn't commented before, please do! _

_I have to thank my friend for this chapter. We were both exhausted when we arrived and she watched, (Mmm, one guess) Sea Patrol whilst we died on the couch. So I wrote the rest of this then. _


	28. Chapter 28

_Well, here's the next update. I'm sorry I didn't get this up as quickly as expected but I was so exhausted. Thanks to everyone that has been commenting. This chapter is dedicated to __**7 **__for the enthusiastic reviews and to __**Parker Girl **__for the very constant reviews. Thank you_

_2 days later  
1230 hours_

"I could live my life like this," sighed Tamsin as she sunbaked.

"Agreed," replied Nikki, adjusting her sunglasses. "Although at least you can wear a bikini and get a tan." Tamsin laughed.

"Pity we couldn't just stay out here," giggled Sally.

"Want to get lost on a deserted island?" asked Bomber with a smile.

"Not a chance when we've got miss hot-shot navigator over here," added Tamsin, pointing towards Nikki. They laughed.

"You know, as much as I love Chloe and being at home with her, it is nice to have a day where you can get away and relax," said Sally.

"Even if it does end up costing you a small fortune in babysitting fees?" laughed Tamsin.

"In-laws have got to be good for something," was Sally's reply, causing the girls' to laugh.

"You don't like your in-laws?" asked Tamsin. Sally pursed her lips in thought.

"Of course I like them!" she replied although she was very convincing.

"Oh come on Sal. You can tell us," teased Nikki.

"Cone of silence," added Bomber, drawing lines in the air with her fingertips.

"It's not that I don't like them it's just that... They're just so controlling!" said Sally eventually. "You know how some people can just be too in your face?"

"I don't even have in-laws," said Bomber. Sally scoffed.

"You could if you wanted," teased Nikki. Bomber gave her a friendly glare.

"Just because you obviously haven't heard of non-fraternisation rule for shipmates, doesn't mean I haven't," retorted Bomber in a playful tone.

"Well, my in-laws have always kind of been my parents anyway," said Tamsin after a moments though. She could tell Bomber and Sally were unsure of what she meant. "My parents were never really there for me; always working. So I spent a lot of time with Nikki's family and they became like my family. I was living with them literally by the time I was 15!"

"She even had her own room at our place she spent that much time there," added Nikki with a laugh. "But my parents loved her."

"And now they're your in-laws," concluded Bomber. Tamsin nodded.

"I haven't really met my in-laws. I think I've met them once, no twice," said Nikki, counting on her fingers. "But they seem pretty nice."

"Well aren't you guys just lucky then?" replied Sally.

_1305 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

"So, where are you going after you finish on the Hammersley?" Swain asked Chefo as they walked down the corridor.

"Depends where I'm posted. They haven't told me yet," replied Chefo. "Hawaii I reckon." Buffer scoffed.

"Keep dreaming mate," he said, passing the other two and patting Chefo on the shoulder.

"Are you and..." Swain seemed to have forgotten the name.

"Jen," prompted Chefo.

"Yeah, sorry. Are you guys going to come to the pub with us when we arrive back?" asked Swain. Chefo was about to answer when RO interrupted from behind.

"You'll be waiting a while, we're not heading to port anymore," he told them.

"What?" asked Chefo, turning around.

"We've been tasked again," replied RO, waving the piece of paper he was holding and ducking off before anyone could ask any more questions.

Up on the bridge, Kate was at the helm, Mike in the captain's chair, Luxton at the navigation console and Charge at the engineers' console.

"Sir, just in from Navcom," said RO as he entered the bridge, making his way swiftly over to Mike and passing him the paper in his hand. Mike accepted the paper and read it, before passing it to Luxton.

"Plot this," he told her simply.

"Yes Sir," replied Luxton, looking at the radar. "Port twenty, altering 225."

"Port twenty, altering 225," repeated Kate, altering course. "What is it Sir?" she asked Mike.

"Coast watch has spotted a vessel that they want us to have a look at," he replied. Kate nodded.

_1330 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

ET entered the comcen to make his scheduled phone call. Picking up the phone, he dialled the ever so familiar number and waited for someone to pick up. On the third ring, a make answered.

"Hello," said Matt on the other end.

"Hi Matt. It's Josh, I was just ringing to talk to Nikki."

"She's not here," replied Matt, his voice sounding confused. "She left this morning." Now it was ET's turn to sound confused.

"Where is she?"

"You haven't spoken to her?" asked Matt, still sounding confused. After he got no reply, Matt decided to continue. "She went out with Tam, Bec and Sally. They have gone out on a boat for the day. Girls' day out or something."

"Right," replied ET, not knowing what else to say. "Okay thanks."

"Is everything alright?" asked Matt, picking up the tone in his soon-to-be brother in-laws voice.

"Um, yeah. I better go, bye," said ET, replacing the receiver slowly. He could feel the sense of dread that had built in his gut. And he couldn't get over it.

_1400 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

"Boss, I've got them on the EOD." Spider's voice echoed around the bridge as he spoke. Mike turned and, seeing the boat on the EOD, stood up to take a closer look.

"And this was the position as given?" Mike as Luxton. She turned back and looked at the radar.

"Yes Sir," she replied.

"Isn't that one of the hire boats?" asked Spider, turning to glance over his shoulder.

"How do you know that Spider?" asked Kate who was now also looking at the image on the EOD. Swain was at the helm.

"They lease them out for day hire. They are usually moored not far from us, Sir," replied Spider. "Well, at least it looks like it."

"He's right Sir," piped up Swain. Mike, Kate, Spider and Luxton all turned to look at him. "Pacific Dives it's called. I've hired one before."

"Alright RO. Call Navcom and see if you can get in touch with the tour company," ordered Mike. RO nodded, turning around in his seat to use the phone. "Prepare boarding parties," added Mike. "We'll board when we are closer." Kate nodded and left the bridge.

"Boss. Is there any way I can be included in the boarding party?" asked Spider. Kate stopped on the steps at this request. Mike thought for a minute.

"Are you sure you're fit to do it?"

"Yes Sir," replied Spider with an enthusiastic smile. Mike smiled and shook his head.

"Alright. X, include ET and Spider in the boarding party."

"Yes Sir," replied Kate with a smile, heading down the stairs and into the lower decks.

About 20 minutes later, Mike was back in his chair. Glancing out the window, the boat that was still visible on the EOD was just in sight, a speck on the horizon. It was stationary.

"Ah Sir," interrupted RO. "Navcom got a hold of the boat operators. The yacht was leased this morning to Nikki."

"Nikki?" he repeated.

"Our old navigator," added RO, as if Mike couldn't understand.

"Sir, boarding party ready," came Kate's voice over the radio. Mike paused for a moment before heading out to the outer deck, Luxton following.

"Use the loud hailer," he told her.

"Vessel on my port beam. This is Australian Warship Hammersley. If there is anybody on board, I need you to show yourself above deck." She drew the loud hailer away from her mouth and looked at Mike. He nodded.

"Alright, away sea boat!" he yelled, indicating with his arm. The RHIB's powered off in the direction of the yacht. Mike took the opportunity to radio Kate. "X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, come in over."

"This is X-Ray82, go ahead over," she replied a few seconds later, using her private airwave.

"X, we've been informed that the yacht has been leased to Nikki."

"Are you sure?" she replied.

"Yes X. Charlie82 standing by." The RHIB's were now metres away from the yacht. When they arrived alongside, Buffer and ET jumped aboard, followed by Kate, Chefo and Spider.

"Australian Navy!" called out Buffer, to no response.

"Australian Navy!" called out Chefo. He pointed to a door and Kate nodded. Spider followed Chefo, gun raised as Chefo swung the door open.

"X!" yelled Chefo once they were through the door. The crew on the deck looked down at the door, not being able to see anything and immediately moved to the door.

_So what do you think? I'll try to write again very soon but my damned asthma is giving me trouble again. But I'll probably be able to update again tomorrow because my friend went to a music thingo yesterday and isn't coming back until tomorrow morning so I'm in peace and quiet! Please review. Much appreciated. _


	29. Chapter 29

_I'm back guys. I'm so sorry for leaving the updates so long. But I have a reason. But I'll leave it until the end of the story so you guys can finally read the next chapter. I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger you have been left to deal with!_

"Chefo!" called out Buffer, slowly entering the door. He glanced left and then right, holding his glance to the right before making his way over so that Kate could enter.

"Sally? Tamsin?" called out Kate As she spotted the two women in the corner. Sally's head lolled forward as Chefo made their way over to the pair. Tamsin, who was in a slightly better condition than Sally, pulled Sally's head back up.

"What happened?" asked Chefo, supporting Sally's head as it went to loll forward again.

"Dwn't knw," replied Tamsin groggily.

"They sound drunk," Buffer said to Kate. But Kate had bigger things to worry about.

"Where's Nikki?" ET and Chefo both turned at this comment.

"What?" asked ET as soon as he could get the words out. "What are you talking about?"

"Ma'am, what's going on?" asked Chefo, still crouched on the floor.

"They went that way," piped up Sally, pointing one flailing arm to the right. She too sounded drunk and could barely get the words out. Buffer and Kate both looked in the direction but the only thing that could be seen was the small kitchen.

"Where's Nikki and Bomber? Are they alright?" said ET, the words flowing out so quickly that the others barely had time to comprehend what he was saying.

"Bomber?" asked Spider in a worried voice, his eyes widening.

"Is she out here too?" asked Kate, turning to face ET.

"When I spoke to Nikki's brother, he said that Nikki went out on a boat with Sally, Tam and Bomber," replied ET, sounding impatiently. He turned to Tamsin and bent down. "Where did they go?"

"I dwnt know," replied Tamsin, still sounding drunk. "On the boat I think." ET looked up at Buffer and Kate.

"Boat?" repeated Buffer. They attempted to get more out of both the girls but it was useless; they were too far out of it to get any more useful information out of them. With a sigh, Kate turned on the radio.

"Charlie82, this is X-Ray82, come in over."

"This is Charlie82, go ahead X," came Mike's voice through the radio.

"Sir, there is two POB. Confirm identities as Sally Blake and Tamsin Shepherd, over," said Kate with a sigh, her voice sounding breathless despite the fact that she had not been running. Swain's head turned quickly and Mike looked at his coxswain, seated at the helm.

"Is she alright?" said Swain in a hurried voice, leaning up in his seat to try and strain to see the vessel out ahead.

"What about Nikki, over," added Mike, glancing at his coxswain again from the corner of his eye. He could see how stressed he had become very quickly.

"She's not on board Sir. Bomber was also onboard and neither appears to be onboard, over," replied Kate. At hearing that Bomber was also involved, RO looked up before standing to walk over and look through the window near Swain.

"And what condition are they in?" Kate turned to Chefo at this last communication.

"We need to get them back to the Hammersley ma'am," Chefo told her. Kate nodded before turning away from Sally and Tamsin, talking back to into the radio and relaying the information to the CO.

"Roger that," confirmed Mike, leaning on the navigation console. Luxton looked up at the CO as he gave his next orders. "Bring them across to the Hammersley. Get Buffer and Spider to prep the boat for towing."

"Alright, you heard that," Kate told the crew at her end.

"But what about Nikki?" asked ET in desperation.

"And Bomber," added Spider. Kate opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words.

"Our priority right now is to get Sally and Tamsin back to the Hammersley. If this is another poisoning, you've seen the effects it can have," Kate told the boys, being the first to speak the words they had all clearly been thinking. She watched as both looked like they were beginning to crumble. "Trust that the CO will have something planned," she told them both. "We'll find them."

Fifteen minutes later, the first RHIB was reapproaching the Hammersley, with Kate, ET and Chefo on board, accompanying Sally and Tamsin, who were both slightly delirious. As the RHIB was hoisted up, Mike came down the side of the boat, Swain hot on his heels. Charge was also following.

"Sally!" called out Swain, leaning on the edge of the boat. Sally looked up slightly at the sound of her name but didn't spot her husband in the distance.

"Can we have some help here please!" yelled Chefo from the RHIB. Swain immediately sprung forward and Mike and Charge followed behind. Swain stepped aboard the RHIB and immediately went to his wife's side.

"Help ET lift her off Swain," said Chefo, who was about to lift Tamsin's stretcher with the help of Charge who had climbed on.

"On three, one, two, THREE!" counted Swain, lifting the head end of Sally's stretcher. Her eyes were closed.

"Clear the way please!" called out Chefo as he and Charge came down the corridor towards the wardroom a few minutes later. Swain and ET were carrying Sally just behind. Tamsin was put down on the far side while Sally was placed in the middle.

"Sal?" said Swain softly, whilst moving to grab and oxygen mask. He placed it over her face just as she spoke.

"Chris?" she asked unsurely, the words barely coming out of her mouth.

"I'm here, I'm here," he told her, moving into her full view and taking her hand.

"I need to go and get Chloe," she told him, trying to move but he pushed her back down gently.

"Babe, Chloe's not here," he told her. "You were out with the girls. Do you remember?" asked Swain, wondering too where his daughter was. "Where is Chloe?"

"She's with your parents," piped up Tamsin, her voice muffled by the oxygen mask over her face. She held a pointed finger up in the air, as if to emphasize her point. Chefo pulled the oxygen mask back onto her face as she tried to pull it off.

"Just keep that on," he told her firmly, placing it back on properly. Back on the other side of the room, Sally's eyes opened wider and she suddenly seemed to become more alert.

"Where's Nikki? And Bec?" Chefo looked up at Swain who looked up from his wife.

"We don't know. Do you remember what happened?" Swain eventually asked. Tamsin had her eyes closed and was taking deep breaths so didn't answer.

"Men, island," was all Sally said, as if she was unsure of the words.

"How are we doing?" asked Mike, poking his head in the door. Swain didn't reply as he tried to get more out of Sally.

"What men. And what about an island?" But Sally again had her eyes closed.

"Men and an island?" asked Mike. Swain looked up.

"Sally said something about men and an island," replied Swain. "Maybe it's where..."

"Nikki and Bomber are," finished Mike, nodding his head slowly as he spoke. "How are they doing?"

"They're delirious," replied Swain, looking over at Tamsin who still had her eyes closed.

"Just do what you can," Mike told him, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder and leaving the room, headed for the bridge with the small amount of information Sally had provided for them. Swain sighed and looked at his watch.

Up on the bridge, ET was standing near the EOD whilst Spider was at the helm. Luxton was sitting at the navigation console, with control of the ship.

"The boat is ready for towing and the RHIB's are both being stored," said Kate as she followed Mike up the stairs to the bridge.

"Alright, well Sally mentioned men and an island," Mike told her, turning to face her over his shoulder as he climbed the final steps.

"Men?" repeated Kate. "Like the ones we encountered when ET, Bomber and Spider were hit?" Mike nodded.

"It could be. But we can't be sure," he told her. "Although judging by the condition of Sally and Tamsin, it seems like the same thing." Kate nodded.

"What are we to do about Nikki and Bomber?" she asked next. Mike took a deep breath and thought for a moment before turning to Luxton.

"Is there any land in the area?" he asked her, without answering Kate's question. Luxton glanced at the radar.

"Ah, yes Sir. There's an island approximately eight clicks away," she replied, looking back up at her commanding officer, her short blonde ponytail swinging slightly as she turned.

"Sally mentioned an island," Mike now told Kate.

"And you think this island could be where Nikki and Bomber are?" added Kate, catching onto where Mike was going with it.

"It's hard to tell. Swain said that both of them are delirious but we have to consider it," he replied. He turned to Luxton. "Set course for the island."

"Yes Sir. Port twenty, altering 220," she told Spider at the helm.

"Port twenty, altering 220," he repeated, altering the course.

"Alright, let's find Nikki and Bomber," said Mike, settling into the captain's chair.

_That's another one done. Okay, I haven't been able to update because I decided to get pneumonia badly, resulting in having a collapsed lung and collapsing at the hotel I was at. Whilst my friend wasn't due back for quite some time. As many of you know, I am an asthma sufferer and this made the effect the pneumonia on me twice as bad and I ended up on ventilator and completely out of it. Finally, after two failed attempts of getting me off the ventilator, I was able to breathe again on my own and so that leaves me, now currently in hospital and very impatiently awaiting my discharge, which I'm told will not be for at least another few days. And I have to deal with my over protective parents and boyfriend, who flew to Sydney to be with me. Not to mention my friend. Anyone would think I'm on death's door!_

_Anyway, please review and help make me smile again. _


	30. Chapter 30

_Okay, not impressed. Guess who decided to slip over in the shower yesterday and knock herself out? *raises hand* So now, with one side of the top of my head a horrible black colour, I am wondering if I might have killed someone in a previous existence to deserve all this! Lol. Well anyway, so I get to stay in hospital until Friday now, instead of getting out on Thursday. Like I said, NOT impressed. Hope you enjoy this chapter, I found it very hard to write, just wasn't happening. _

_1615 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

It was heading into late afternoon and Mike, ET, Buffer and Kate were out on the Hammersley's decks, binoculars scouring the water and horizon for any sign of the missing girls.

While down below, Swain and Chefo were still with Tamsin and Sally. Sally was awake, her eyes fluttering in the light while Tamsin seemed wide awake but was staring blankly out to space.

"I have an island visual, red 95, distance far," called out ET. Kate and Mike, who were standing next to each other on the deck, raised their own binoculars, Kate flicking the focus button.

"Confirm, right ahead Sir," said Kate.

"Boss!" called out Luxton, poking her head out the door from inside the bridge. "I have the island on radar and Spider's got it on the EOD. It's a mangrove." Mike rolled his head.

"Just fantastic," he muttered.

"Crocs are feeding now," said ET rationally, remembering back to the time when they had saved two kids who had been taken by their father in swampy mangroves. Mike nodded.

"Okay, we don't even know for sure that they are on an island," said Mike, stepping inside the Hammersley. Kate was behind him, followed by ET and then Buffer.

"But they could be Sir. I mean, we don't know whether these men were on a boat again. They could be hiding out on the island," said Kate logically, glancing at ET as she spoke. She could see how tense he was, his jaw line set.

"Ah Sir, message through from Navcom," said Luxton, holding out the piece of paper RO had just passed to her. "Coastwatch has picked up another vessel in our area that fits the description of the boat that got away from you last time."

"That's got to be the guys," said Mike, throwing up his hands. "Luxton, where are they placed?"

"Approximately 10 miles north-east of the mangroves," she replied, glancing quickly at the radar as she did.

"We're on the opposite side to them," said Mike with thought. "Would they know we are here?" he asked, turning to glance over his shoulder at Luxton. She looked at the radar screen again.

"No Sir. The island blocks us out."

"Good, we'll keep it that way. I want you to prepare a shore party to check out the mangroves," Mike told his XO. "We'll have to sweep the area quickly and be careful of the crocs." Kate nodded slowly as he continued. "We've all seen firsthand how dangerous these people can be. I want everyone tooled up, Kevlar vests, extra plates inserted."

"Yes Sir," replied Kate. "But what about the boat? They could be onboard."

"Keep Hammersley out of visual range. Plan is to scour the island and we'll wait until dark to start tracking and boarding the boat," replied Mike, patting Buffer on the shoulder as he stood at the top of the stairs.

"Yes Sir," Kate sung out, calling for ET and RO.

"Wait up X," he said, stopping Kate as she was about to leave the bridge. "I'll be leading this one. I need you to take the ship." Kate looked like she was about to protest.

"But Sir..."

"No X. You are to stay onboard." Kate looked at his fixed expression and nodded, realising he meant business.

"Yes Sir. XO has the ship!"

"Luxton, I want you on the shore party," he ordered as Luxton turned her head up. She nodded as she registered the words, throwing her pen on the bench and standing up.

"Yes Sir!" she replied stepping quickly out of the bridge and heading down to get into her boarding gear a few steps in front of Mike.

"You getting wet for a change?" Buffer asked her in a teasing voice as he passed her a vest.

"Looks like it Buffer," Luxton replied in monotone, clipping the buckles together. She took the radio that ET handed her. Mike watched as ET passed out radios, the expression on his face never changing. He began to wonder whether it was a good idea having ET included in the boarding party, given the circumstances. _He'll be fine, _reasoned Mike. _He's a professional. _Mike just hoped that he didn't live to regret this decision.

A few minutes later, the shore party of Mike, Luxton, Buffer, ET, Spider, RO and Chefo were ready to go. Both RHIB's were being prepped and Mike, ET, Spider and Chefo stepped into one whilst Luxton, Buffer and RO clambered into the other. Both RHIB's were lowered into the water and within minutes both were gliding across the water towards the island in the distance. Both RHIB's pulled up on the beach and Buffer jumped out of his RHIB first. The party gathered together, weapons pulled out of holsters.

"Alright team, listen up. As you know we are looking for Nikki and Bomber. We don't know for definite if they are here. But we need to do a thorough search and hope we find them. Judging by the state that we found the other two women in, they are in possible need of medical assistance." Mike glanced across at ET, watching his face contort.

"I want weapons at the ready," added Buffer, holding onto his own rifle more tightly, as if to emphasize his point. Mike nodded.

"And this time of the afternoon is feeding time for crocs," said Mike to his crew. "So be careful, watch your partners backs and lets get this over with as quickly as possible. Buffer?"

"ET, go with the Boss, team Charlie. RO, Spider, with me, team Bravo. Luxton, you go with Chefo, team Sierra. Bravo, we'll head to the right. Charlie to the left and Sierra, make a sweep that way," Buffer told the group, using one arm to indicate the directions. Everyone nodded and moved off with their team in their direction.

"I've been hearing about your training drills and the last time you were on board the Hammersley," Chefo suddenly piped up a few minutes later, when it was only Luxton in earshot. She turned around but still kept her weapon trained in front of her.

"Have you now?"

"Mmm," replied Chefo, his cheeky, joking smile clearly evident. But Luxton still wasn't used to Chefo's antics like the others who had served with him previously.

"Shouldn't believe everything you hear," was her reply. She added the slight irritation tone to her voice as she spoke but deep down, although she had not wanted the posting to the Hammersley originally, she was actually beginning to quite enjoy her time there and her new crew mates.

"Sure," replied Chefo, biting his lip to make any more remarks. There was so many! Luxton moved slowly forward, as did Chefo and the descended further into the mangroves, keeping their weapons ready the whole time. Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, Mike and ET were making their way further inland after there seemed to be no indication of any previous life forms being in the area.

"Boss?" asked ET suddenly, and quietly. Mike turned around and the use of his name, half startled as ET hadn't yet spoken at all apart from replying to orders. He nodded.

"How you going back there?" Mike asked his younger sailor.

"Do you think we'll find them alive?" Mike turned to face ET more, not quite sure how to answer the question. He could feel his head telling him that they could both very easily be dead but his heart was telling him to hope they were still alright.

"I don't know ET," he told the Leading Seaman honestly in a gentle voice. "I have no idea what we're going to find. But they could very well still be alive."

"But if they..." ET paused, as if he was too choked to speak despite his gathered expression. "If they've been poisoned... What do you think will happen to Nik?"

"What do you mean by that?" was Mike's response, not exactly sure what his electronics technician was talking about.

"She's got the same heart condition that her mother had." Mike turned back so that he wasn't facing ET anymore, thinking for a minute before turning to face him again.

"I know that ET," replied Mike honestly. "Just stay focused alright. We're going to find them." _Hopefully not dead, _thought ET to himself. He was finding it hard to stay positive. There were so many negatives in the current situation that it was hard to see the positives. The pair moved forward slowly again, mud and water squelching around them.

Team Bravo were walking through similar conditions on another side of the island.

"I hope we don't see any crocodiles," said RO and he picked up one leg higher to avoid a branch. Spider scoffed.

"You scared RO?"

"No of course I'm not!" RO bit back. Buffer smiled.

"Don't worry RO, you're too skinny for a croc's dinner," he told RO, turning to glance over his shoulder slightly. RO glared. They continued further inland, weapons raised.

"What are the chances of finding them alive out here?" put in RO a few minutes later. Buffer turned around to face him, his face pulled into a tight glare. "What? I'm just saying the truth!" said RO after noticing his glare, as if he couldn't believe why Buffer had reacted like that.

"No one wants to hear it RO!" replied Buffer, giving him one final glare before turning back around and continuing on. For minutes, no one said anything.

"This is Sierra82, we've got movement up ahead," came Luxton's voice through the radio minutes later. Mike and ET stopped and listened whilst on another side of the island, Team Bravo stopped too. "All teams, belay my last. It was nothing, over," said Luxton a few seconds later. From their position, Luxton began to keep walking.

"Ma'am?" said Chefo as they walked.

"Mmm?" replied Luxton, not taking her eyes of the distance in front of her.

"I think that might have been a crocodile," was Chefo's response. Luxton closed her eyes slowly before re-opening them, nodding slowly.

"Yep."

_There's another one done. Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter and also previous chapters. Please let me know what you think of the next chapter... Love it, hate it, whatever. Please. Thank you!_


	31. Chapter 31

_Okay, I've had enough. You're probably going to think this is just an excuse for not updating because no one could have this much bad luck. Sad thing is, it's true. I broke my ankle yesterday, my reason for not updating. I'm sorry. But I am just about ready to lock myself up in a glass box and never come out. Seriously, I honestly do think I did something seriously evil in the past that I cannot remember. I am having the biggest bad luck streak! Although they say things happen in threes so surely it's about that now..._

About 15 minutes later, the light was fading rapidly and Mike had to make a decision.

"Bravo82, Sierra82, come in over." ET watched as Mike spoke into the radio.

"This is Sierra82, over," came Luxton's voice a few seconds later.

"Bravo82, over," added Buffer a few moments after Luxton.

"We're losing light fast. We're going to have head back to the Hammersley," said Mike, glancing out of the corner of his eye at ET.

"Roger Charlie82," replied Luxton, looking over her shoulder at Chefo.

"Confirm we're heading back to Hammersley," said Buffer. While RO remained expression-less, he was obviously worried about his friend and crew mate. Spider looked visibly crushed.

"But we can't go back, we haven't found them yet!" exclaimed Spider to Buffer, his voice sounding like a whine. He didn't know that Buffer still had the radio on so the other teams all heard him.

"Spider, we can't go on. It's getting dark and the crocs are out," said Mike, hearing the desperation in Spider's voice.

"He's right, mate," Buffer told him. "We'll be no use to them if we're crocodile food."

"There's still the boat on the other side of the island to check out," added Luxton through the radio. "And from what we can see of them, they still appear stationary."

"Okay, so we head back to the Hammersley and work out what to do next, Charlie82 out." As Mike finish speaking, he caught a glimpse at ET. While the electronics technician looked devastated, the expression on his face suggested that he knew that what Mike had said was right. Mike felt somewhat proud out how his younger sailor was handling himself. They began making their way slowly back to the beach.

Team Bravo was doing the same. Walking slowly and quietly, Buffer, RO and Spider could still feel the squelching of the mud beneath their boots. They stopped suddenly in their tracks at the sound of a noise to their left.

"Buff!" cried out Spider, aiming his rifle and firing. Team Charlie and Sierra both ducked slightly, quickly at the sound of the gunshot.

"Teams Bravo, Sierra, did you fire those shots, over," came ET's voice through the radio a few moments later on behalf of Team Charlie.

"This is Team Sierra, negative, that wasn't us, over," replied Luxton to the call.

"This is Team Bravo," added Buffer a few moments later. "It was us."

"Are you all okay?" asked Mike this time.

"Affirmative, it was a croc Sir," replied Buffer, rubbing his head.

"Roger. I want all teams to head for the RHIB's ASAP. The crocs are obviously out. This is Charlie82 out."

"Good work Spider," Buffer said, turning back to the sailors behind him. "Now you heard the boss, let's go!" All teams began to move quickly but cautiously back to the RHIB's on the shoreline. Sierra team arrived first, followed by Team Bravo a few minutes later. They waited patiently for Mike and ET.

"Watch it here ET," said Mike over his shoulder, pointing to the semi-submerged rocks in front of him. ET nodded in reply. They continued on a few more metres before a noise to the right of them stopped them in their tracks.

"What's that Boss?" asked ET, holding onto his rifle tighter and raising it a little higher. Mike continued searching with his eyes the area surrounding them; swampy, muddy, water trees and more slush. But nothing to indicate what the noises had been.

"Boss!" yelled ET as both he and Mike turned at more noise. Back at the RHIB's, Luxton, Buffer, Spider, RO and Chefo were waiting for Mike and ET to arrive back when they heard the gunshots. Two of them.

"Team Charlie, do you copy, over," said Luxton hurriedly. She glanced at her crew mates with her on the shoreline as she only got a static in reply. "Team Charlie, do you read me, over," she repeated, again not receiving a reply.

"This is Team Charlie," came ET's voice minutes after the gunshots had been heard. "We're okay, over."

"This is Sierra. Copy that over," replied Luxton as all the crew on the shore, including RO, seemed to sigh with relief at the much awaited communication.

About five minutes later, Mike and ET emerged from the swampy bushes, rifles still raised.

"Good to see you," said Buffer, clapping ET on the shoulder as they passed.

"What happened?" questioned Luxton as Mike and ET came up against the RHIB's.

"A croc," replied Mike, slightly out of breath at their mad dash through the mangroves whilst at the same time being on the lookout for crocs, and of course any signs of the missing Nikki and Bomber. "Hence the shots."

"Charlie82, this is Hammersley82, SITREP over," came Kate's voice through their radio. Mike took a breath inwards and turned on the radio.

"This is Charlie82, we're heading back to Hammersley now, over," replied Mike to his XO back on the patrol boat.

"No sign?" was all Kate said back. Mike took a deep breath again before answering.

"Not that we saw. But we've got to head back. We're losing light and the crocs are coming out."

"Roger Charlie82. See you soon. Hammersley82 out."

"Come on team, lets get back to the Hammersley and prepare to board the boat on the other side of the island when it's dark," Mike told the crew on the beach. No one said anything, climbing into the RHIB's and heading back towards the Hammersley.

_1845 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

By now it was completely dark and the Hammersley was preparing to board the vessel that had been stationed on the other side of the island. Mike was preparing the team when Luxton interrupted.

"Sir, the vessel is no longer stationary. They are heading off in a northerly direction." Mike turned to listen to his newest navigator.

"Damn," he said under his breath. "We'll have to hope they don't see us coming. Prepare the boarding party."

"Yes Sir," said Kate, leading the crew down from the bridge.

In a matter of minutes, the boarding party consisting of Kate, Buffer, ET, Spider, Swain and RO were preparing to board the RHIB's.

"Why is it that I'm on the boarding party again?" whined RO under his breath. He hadn't counted on anyone else hearing.

"Because it's what you get payed for," replied Buffer sharply, shaking his head. RO would always be RO.

"Boarding party ready Sir," Kate said through the radio.

"Away sea boat!" was called from above and the RHIB's took off from the Hammersley, slowly and cautiously. Kate looked over at ET and Spider who were on the same RHIB as her and noticed how tense and stressed they both looked.

"We're going to find them," she told them, completely out of the blue to the two male sailors, who seemed slightly shocked by their XO's comment.

"How long has it been though?" said Spider, the pessimistic side taking over.

"We are going to find them," re-enforced Kate, saying the words firmly and strongly. No one said anything more and a few minutes later, the boat they were tracking was in sight. "Alright, get ready," Kate told the crew on her RHIB, standing up slightly. The RHIB's pulled alongside and Buffer jumped aboard the vessel first, tucking himself over the railing almost effortlessly and quietly. ET and Swain climbed aboard next, followed by the others. Buffer was slowly walking down the side of the boat when a man appeared.

"Australian Navy!" yelled Buffer, drawing his weapon. Those behind him drew their own weapons as well.

"Is there anyone else on board?!" yelled Kate, sliding past ET and Swain to move up the front near Buffer. The man turned his head back inside the door he had just come out of.

"Steve! Rob! We've got company!" The man turned back to face the Navy awaiting him on the deck and a minute later, two heads popped out of the door, presumably Steve and Rob.

"Which one of you is which?" asked Kate, showing her authority in her voice. The first man jerked his thumb.

"That's Rob, Steve and I'm Rich," he replied smoothly. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

"Do you mind us searching your vessel?" asked Kate, acting coolly so not to raise any more unnecessary suspicion whilst continuing to show her authority in her body language and voice. Rich turned to Rob and Steve before shrugging his shoulders.

"Why not," he replied, cool as a cucumber. "Won't find anything but."

"We'll see," replied Kate, not liking the feeling she had about these guys. "Buffer?" Buffer nodded, understanding what she meant.

"Spider, ET, head down there. RO, you and I will check topside and X, you and Swain will check down stairs," he directed, pointing in the various directions. Each person moved toward their designated areas.

"Do you reckon they're here?" Spider asked ET as they moved towards the back of the boat. ET didn't reply for a moment, keeping his expression set.

"I don't know," was his only reply. They searched the exterior of the boat but found nothing. No drugs, ammunition and definitely no sign of the missing girls. Swain and Kate emerged from inside as RO and Buffer climbed back down from the top.

"No sign," reported Swain, stepping out to allow Kate past. Kate sighed. She had a feeling about these blokes but she had found nothing to pin on them whatsoever. If they were up to no good, it seemed at the moment that they would be walking free.

"Thank you for your time," Kate told the men, beginning to usher her crew off the boat.

"Not a problem, and if there is anything you need," Rich told her. She nodded before climbing onto the RHIB. As they began to head back to the Hammersley, all crew on the boarding party failed to notice the dingy off the side of the motor cruiser. A dingy that was sure to hold the answers to a lot of questions.

_I think I'll wrap it up there. I'm going to go and enquire about that glass box! Lol. Please read and review/comment. I appreciate it so much. Also thanks to those that have been commenting. It means so much to me. _


	32. Chapter 32

_Here's chapter 32. Wow, how long is it! Lol. This chapter was hard to write; it just wasn't coming to me. Sorry for the delay. Thanks for all your comments/reviews. Very much appreciated. I can't even begin to tell you how awesome you guys are. This chapter was mostly written at Sydney Airport this morning and I was exhausted so please forgive me for any bad bits/mistakes._

_0615 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

Swain was awake and in the wardroom early the next morning. He rested his hands on his face and watched Sally and Tamsin, who were both sleeping. They seemed to be doing fairly well. He had done everything that fleet medical had advised him and they seemed to be improving. But they really did need hospital treatment.

"Chris?" came a week voice. Swain fixed his gaze on Sally and lifted his head from his hands.

"Sal, I'm here," he told her in a reassuring voice, gently pushing a few strands of hair off her face. Sally went to pull the oxygen mask off her face. "No! Keep that on!" said Swain insistently, instantly moving to keep the mask on her face. Sally struggled beneath the mask and managed to pull it off.

"Nikki? And Bec?" she managed to squeeze out. Her own gaze was fixed on her husband and he continued looking directly at her, his expression not changing as he thought of what to say to her.

"We don't know where they are babe," said Swain honestly, his voice soft, trying his hardest not to make the situation any worse for Sally. Sally didn't seem to know what to say, letting the mask settle back onto her face and breathing in. She closed her eyes again and Swain sighed. As a husband, he felt like a failure.

_0620 hours, HMAS Hammersley bridge_

Luxton was sitting at the navigation console when she looked over towards the helm, watching the electronics technician sitting there rubbing his eyes.

"Why don't you take a break, ET?" suggested Luxton, judging that he was well past the point of tiredness.

"I'm fine ma'am." Luxton sighed, watching him for a few more seconds before swivelling in her chair. In the short amount of time she had been aboard the HMAS Hammersley, she had already learnt many traits about her fellow shipmates, including ET. And the set and determined expression on ET's face at the moment told her that he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. She sighed again and went back to the radar screen. She noticed the little dot that had formed on the screen in her eyes' absence. She reached for the hand piece.

"Commanding officer, request you come to the bridge." Down below, Mike was already up and in the galley, making himself a coffee before he planned to go to the bridge. He heard Luxton over the radio and finished stirring the spoonful of sugar into his cup, placing the spoon on the sink edge and heading for the bridge.

"What is it Luxton?" he asked, walking straight over to her console upon his arrival.

"I've got a contact, bearing 310. They appear stationary," she replied, pointing her pen at the dot.

"Sir, message through from Navcom. It's from the AFP," said RO, holding at the printout. Mike took it from him before scanning the words.

"The AFP have had a missing persons form officially lodged. Matt Caetano officially lodged it early this morning after his sister, girlfriend and two friends didn't return from an outing on a yacht," said Mike, taking the information from the page in front of him.

"And Sir, there is two messages to call urgently. One's for ET and one's for Swain," said RO, holding up two small pieces of paper. Mike looked over towards the helm and nodded at ET. ET stood up and accepted the piece of paper from RO and went to leave the bridge. Mike told the other piece of paper from RO and turned back towards Luxton.

"I'll go give this to Swain. Keep the vessel under surveillance," ordered Mike, pausing at the steps. "Navigator has the ship!"

"Navigator has the ship!" repeated Luxton as Mike stepped out of the bridge.

Mike walked along the corridor until he came to the wardroom where he knew Swain would be. And he was right. Although the door was open, Mike knocked before stepping in. Swain turned around.

"How are they doing?" asked Mike, looking over at both Tamsin and Sally who still had the oxygen masks over their faces but appeared to be asleep.

"Fairly well considering. They're asleep at the moment," replied Swain, though he sounded glum. Mike held out the piece of paper.

"Urgent message for you," he told the coxswain as Swain took the paper, a puzzled look over his face before nodding.

"I completely forgot. My parents, no doubt wondering where Sal is. I should have called them already." Mike nodded.

"ET's using the phone but he should be finished in a minute. You can use it after," Mike told him, patting his shoulder firmly as he left. Swain kept his head in his hands.

In the comcen, ET was on the phone, waiting for the other person to pick up.

"Hello?" came Matt Caetano's voice.

"Matt, it's Josh," was all ET said.

"You've heard then?" Although Matt couldn't see, ET nodded.

"Yep."

"I have no idea what is going on. I don't even know where they got the boat from," said Matt, sounding like he was feeling guilty.

"We've already got that. We found the boat," ET told him. He was met with silence.

"You what? Are they okay?" asked Matt as he regained himself. "Josh?" he prompted when ET didn't answer.

"Only Tamsin and Sal were on board. They don't know where Nik or Bomber are."

"Oh god," said Matt quietly. "What about Tam and Sally?"

"They are doing okay. They're asleep at the moment," replied ET, his voice sounding neutral.

"Do they know what happened?" questioned Matt, glancing down at his sister's dog as he moved to sit down outside.

"Don't know for sure but it looks like what happened to your mum," replied ET, resting one elbow against the desk in front of him.

"What? So they have been poisoned?" asked Matt, his voice rising slightly as he absently stroked Ruby.

"It looks like it," was ET's response. Both were silent for a few minutes.

"Do you know where Nikki and Bec might have gone?" asked Matt eventually.

"No," replied ET, his voice coming out quietly. His unexpressed emotions of the last few hours were building up and were threatening to overcome him at any moment. He spoke to Matt for a few more minutes before hanging up. ET stayed in the comcen for a few more minutes resting his head on the wall behind him and breathing in deeply, his thoughts on the obvious.

_0800 hours, HMAS Hammersley bridge_

"Sir! I've got another contact!" called out Luxton, her eyes barely breaking away from the radar screen before her to call out. Mike looked up from talking to RO at the radio console before coming over.

"Where did it come from?" asked Mike, watching as the small dot moved on the screen.

"From the stationary vessel," replied Luxton, nodding her head slowly as she watched the screen. Can someone bring it up on the EOD?!"

"I got it," interjected Kate, moving swiftly from Charge's console to the EOD.

"They must be heading for this island," added Mike, tracing the route on the radar screen with his pen. Luxton nodded.

"Alright, got it!" called out Kate. "Sir, it's the boat we boarded last night!" Mike and Luxton both turned around, Mike taking a step towards the EOD whilst Luxton just swivelled to see it in her chair.

"What are they up to?" wondered Mike allowed. "X, I want a shore party ready. I want to know what they are up to."

"Yes Sir," replied Kate, breaking her glance from the EOD and moving to leave the bridge.

About 15 minutes later, a shore party of Kate, Luxton, Buffer, ET, Chefo, Spider and RO were ready to head out. Luxton, ET and Chefo boarded one RHIB while Kate, Buffer, Spider and RO climbed aboard the starboard RHIB. Within minutes, the teams were tooled up and making their way towards the island.

"Okay, Luxton, ET and Spider, Team , with me, Team Bravo and Chefo, with X, Team X-Ray. Stay in radio contact," directed Buffer. He told each team their directions and they began to move off, guns raised.

Over on the Hammersley, Mike was on the outer deck, binoculars raised. His eyes darted between his crew on the beach and the vessel they had boarded last night situated just off the island. Mike couldn't say why but he had a gut feeling about these guys. And he had learnt now to trust his gut instinct. Mike watched as Kate and Chefo disappeared inland and Buffer and RO moved out of sight around the other side of the island. Luxton, ET and Spider were still visible around the south side, scanning the outer bush and water.

About 20 minutes later, Kate turned to Chefo. They had gone through the middle of the island and had found nothing.

"Bravo82, Sierra82, this is X-Ray82, come in," said Kate dejectedly into the radio.

"This is Bravo82," said Buffer in reply.

"Sierra82, do you read me over?" asked Kate after no response was heard from Team Sierra. But Team Sierra was preoccupied.

"Where did that come from?" questioned Luxton, watching as the dingy moved off towards the boat.

"The other side of the island," pointed ET, beginning to move already towards where he was pointing. Spider began to follow him and so did Luxton, talking into the radio as she hurried behind them.

"This is Sierra82, we've got movement to the west of the island," she said breathlessly as she followed her crew mates.

"Can you be any more specific?" asked Kate.

"We've got a dingy leaving for the direction of the motor cruiser."

"That must have been the one that was headed for the island before," theorised Kate. Chefo agreed. "All teams, move towards Team Sierra's position, X-Ray82 out."

In a matter of minutes, Team X-Ray had joined Team Sierra, who were now stopped in the spot where the dingy had come from. Turning her head at the noise, Luxton saw Kate and Chefo arrive.

"That's them there," she pointed out. Kate followed her finger and saw the dingy that was now alongside the motor cruiser.

"What are they doing?" wondered Kate allowed.

"Well, there's no evidence of what they are up to here," replied Luxton, turning her head back over at where Chefo had joined ET and Spider behind them. There was just the sandy beach strip and no evidence. Luxton and Kate turned around at hearing more noise, only to see Buffer and RO arrive.

"What was it?" asked Buffer before anyone even had the chance to say anything. Luxton shrugged, shaking her head

"No idea. But they are back at the boat now."

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, come in over," said the CO via radio. Kate turned on her radio.

"This is X-Ray82. Loud and clear, over."

"X, what appears to be a dingy has just come alongside the motor cruiser. I want you to send one team back and we'll check it out. The remainder of you can continue checking the island, over."

"Roger that, Charlie82. I'm sending Buffer and RO back, over," replied Kate. She turned to Buffer and RO and they nodded at her, moving off towards the direction where the RHIB's were stationed. "Okay, the rest of us, lets move."

_So what do you think? I know that that chapter was a bit flat but if I had of continued, the chapter would have gone on forever and you wouldn't have been getting an update anytime soon! Lol. Just bare with me. I don't think there's too much to go... Just going with the flow. Anyway, please comment. I really appreciate it. _


	33. Chapter 33

_**Chapter 33 is finally done. I had trouble with this chapter too. I have a feeling that I might be headed for a writer's block. Fingers crossed that's not the case. This chapter is for **__navandetforever__**, because I promised I'd write more and took so long to do it. And please get better soon. **_

As Buffer and RO left the island on one of the RHIB's, Kate and Luxton discussed what was to happen next.

"I don't want to leave just yet," decided Kate. Luxton frowned slightly.

"Gut feeling?" questioned Luxton, as if she understood. Kate gave her a small smile.

"Feminine instinct," she replied, moving off. Kate began instructing the team on their next moves. Meanwhile, the other RHIB had arrived back at the Hammersley and Mike was on deck as RO and Buffer arrived.

"Whose coming with us Sir?" called out Buffer, he and RO staying on the RHIB.

"Swaino and Charge," yelled back Mike, glancing over his shoulder as Swain and Charge both approached, clipping their vests firmly on.

"Anything in particular you want us to look out for?" added Buffer, his head dodging to stay in Mike's view as Swain and Charge came aboard the RHIB.

"Anything Buff. But don't tell them any details. Just say what you have to, I want to know what they are up to!" replied Mike determinedly. "Away sea boat!" With that, the RHIB was lowered back into the water before powering away from the Hammersley, gliding over the waves swiftly.

Back on the island, Kate had moved off again with Chefo, heading north of Team Sierra; Luxton, ET and Spider. Kate was pushing through a bushy part when she saw a stream, running further north.

"We didn't see this before, did we?" she questioned Chefo, who voice sounding slightly hesitant. He shook his head.

"No ma'am," he confirmed, slightly puzzled by such a question. But he didn't say anything.

"Didn't think so," replied Kate softly. Sierra82, this is X-Ray82, come in over."

"This is Sierra82, go ahead, over," replied Luxton almost instantly.

"Did you pass a stream?" queried Kate. From her position, Luxton turned to face the junior sailors behind her; she too puzzled by the question. But still, with just a look, she questioned ET and Spider, both shaking their heads in response.

"Ah, negative," replied Luxton, still unsure as to the underlying reason to the question.

"Roger," replied Kate, not saying anymore.

"X?" asked Chefo in a prompting voice, curiosity getting the better of him. He was still puzzled by the significance to the stream.

"I don't know Chefo," replied Kate. "There's just something about it." There was nothing more Kate could tell him. She didn't know herself. It was just that as soon as she'd seen the estuary, it had hit her, in a way she couldn't explain.

Over on the RHIB, the boarding party were almost alongside the motor cruiser. As the RHIB smoothly cleared the few metre distance between itself and the boat, the boys onboard the RHIB propped themselves up, ready to jump aboard. Buffer was the first over the railing, followed by RO. They moved down the side.

"Australian Navy!" called out Buffer. There didn't seem to be answer. "Australian Navy!" he called again.

"Dinghy's clear!" called out Swain as he and Charge moved over. Buffer tried again.

"Australian Navy!"

***

Inside the boat, she opened her eyes, trying to let them fix on something in particular. Once the blurriness had passed, she stole a glance around her, wondering where on earth she was. But her brain felt like mush and she couldn't work out anything. As more and more began to come clearer to her, she tried to scream. She tried with all her heart but the gag in her mouth prevented her from much more.

***

Up on deck, Buffer came face to face with Rich.

"What can I do for you?" asked Rich, sounding agitated even though he was trying to look cool, calm and collected.

"We've been tasked to search vessels in this area," replied Buffer. "Would you mind us taking a look inside?"

"As a matter of fact I do," was Rich's reply. "I believe you searched our boat just yesterday. So unless you've got a warrant..."

"Don't need one," replied Buffer. "If we've got reasonable belief that you could be in the possession of illegal substances or involved in any illegal activities, we have the right to search your vessel. And I can tell you we have very reasonable belief." Buffer had barely finished the last word when Rich bolted, headed straight back through the door he had just come from.

"I'll go this way!" called out Swain, RO following. Buffer immediately headed off in the same direction as Rich, Charge hot on his heels. As they darted through the cabin, they each took in a quick glance at the surroundings, not seeing anything that was odd or out of place. Until they came back outside. When they came face to face with not only Rich and his mate, but also Bomber.

***

Luxton, ET and Spider were walking along a bush trail, pushing aside branches and shrubs when they came to a clearing.

"Ma'am," ET interrupted Luxton's train of thought, pointing ahead. She looked up from her feet, having been taking extra care of her footing with the unsteady ground, to where she could see Kate and Chefo balancing on the rocky edge of the stream. Chefo looked up at hearing the approaching noise.

"X," he said to his senior officer, pointing at their approaching ship mates in the same way ET had just done.

"Found anything?" asked Luxton as she joined Kate and Chefo on the bank. Kate was still staring at the stream, as if she was lost in thought. Chefo answered with a shake of his head.

"Nothing."

"No, neither did we. Tried getting in contact with the Boss but I think we're in a dead spot for the ship," added Luxton, speaking aloud but mainly directing her comments at Kate.

"This is pointless isn't it?" asked Kate finally. She seemed so unsure of herself, a far cry from the XO the team were so used to. No one shook their heads or nodded, just stayed silent.

"I think we should finish our sweeps and head back to the Hammersley," said Luxton, thinking as she spoke. Kate nodded slowly, seeing the logic in Luxton's thought.

"Alright Chefo, we'll continue heading this way and Luxton, you can go around that way; we should meet on the beach." Luxton nodded before signalling to her party to move.

"Let's move." As Luxton urged her team forward, Kate saw the glistening in the water. And it wasn't coming from the sparkling water.

"Luxton!" yelled Kate, bending over to retrieve the object, pulling it out and shaking the water off her hand. Luxton turned around, as did ET and Spider, moving back over towards Chefo and Kate. "On the edge of the stream," said Kate, holding out the bracelet. Luxton took the bracelet from Kate, reading the engraved party.

"Happy 21st Rebecca, love Mum," she read aloud. While Chefo and Luxton both didn't know the exact meaning of this and ET didn't register the bracelet, a look of realisation crossed Spider's face.

"Bomber's bracelet." Kate nodded.

"How do you know that for sure?" questioned Luxton, looking down again at the bracelet.

"Kate's saved Bomber by the bracelet before," Spider replied for Kate, his voice in almost monotone. He thought back to the day he and Bomber had ended up aboard drug dealer Finn McLean's boat and how the XO had recognised the bracelet. He also reminded her all the crap he had served Bomber after the measures she took to keep the bracelet. _Note to self, _he thought. _Tell Bomber that her bracelet isn't such a bad thing after all. If we find her alive. _

***

"Bomber," whispered Buffer under his breath as he took in the sight of the frazzled looking chef before him, tied and gagged. Both he and Charge raised their guns. And judging by the way her injured arm was it was in need of some medical attention.

"Get off the boat, or I kill her," said Rich calmly. _I wouldn't be so calm if I had two Navy sailors training guns on you and I was holding someone hostage, _thought Buffer to himself. He noticed Rich's hand move towards his pocket and Buffer tightened the grip around his weapon as Rich pulled out his own gun.

"You right Bomber?" asked Buffer, even though she obviously wasn't alright. Her head had a dark patch formed on her left cheek, as if she'd been hit, and there was blood on her white top, although Buffer couldn't tell where it had come from. Bomber only whimpered in reply; on account of the gag in her mouth, she couldn't say anymore. She nodded her head violently, causing Rich to pull her head back sharply.

"Shut up!" he yelled in her face.

"Just let her go, mate," encouraged Charge, sounding surprisingly calm under the circumstances.

"How about no," laughed Rich, sounding cocky. On the other side of the boat, Swain and RO could see everything that was happening but couldn't go up behind them because of where Rich's mate was standing.

"What is with these guys?" muttered Swain to himself as he peeked out from around the corner. He whipped his head back behind the wall as Rich's mate turned his head.

"Swain?" whispered RO from behind the coxswain. Swain turned slightly over his shoulder. "I think we can get behind him through there," pointed out RO as he continued. Swain turned more to see what RO was talking about and nodded.

"Alright, go quietly," he said as he pushed RO in the direction. RO stepped through the door first and Swain took one glance behind him before walking through the door. RO and Swain both had their weapons in their hands as they quickly scoured the room they were in.

"Swain," said RO softly, as he stood up again, holding up a small object. Swain took it and examined it. A solitaire diamond on a silver band. It looked certainly like an engagement ring. Swain opened a zip on his vest and dropped the ring in, but not before he spotted a gold chain on the ground. Swain bent slightly and picked it up. _Sally, _he thought, recognising the small gold heart locket attached to the chain. He slipped it into the same pocket as the ring, not even looking at the photos inside that he knew were of himself and the other of his precious Chloe.

Back over on the Hammersley, Mike couldn't see anything that was happening on the boat because all the action was happening on the opposite side to the wheel house. All Mike could see was Swain and RO behind the wall. Judging by Swain and RO's positions, and his own gut feeling, Mike could sense something was wrong but didn't want to radio them in case something was happening. All he could do was watch and wait.

*****

_**That's it for now. I was asked by a reviewer not to start shortening it. I didn't mean I'd start shortening the chapters as such, I mean that there is only a couple more chapters to go I think. I am still going with the flow but I'm only predicting few more until the end. It can't go on forever. **_

_**I'll try to update as soon as I can but I went straight back to studying the day after I got back and I've got my little, little sister coming to stay with me for the weekend. Plus I've got to work around my Romeo and Juliet performances, made more difficult because of my ankle and I need to do the choreography for me and my backing dancers for my dance exam. Again, hard with crutches, especially as the exam assessment is 3 days after I come off crutches. I am so busy at the moment; I just don't know what is going on. **_


	34. Chapter 34

_I'm so sorry it took me so long to update. I have been flat out and we had a death in the family. But we're getting there and here is the update. _

"Let her go," said Buffer more firmly, still holding his gun raised. "Just let her go."

"And why would I do that?" laughed Rich. He appeared to find the whole thing funny.

"Mate, there's four Navy sailors holding guns on you," Buffer told him, before realising what he said.

"Four?" thundered Rich, throwing his head around. "Where are they?!" Charge looked to Buffer, who was keeping his eyes trained on Rich and Bomber, who was still struggling as Rich continued to tug on the gag still wrapped around her mouth.

Over on the island, Kate and Chefo were tracking along the edge of the stream. After the discovery of Bomber's bracelet, Kate had some shoot of new hope. Even if it was only small. In a different clearing of the island, Luxton, ET and Spider were gaining ground. Spider seemed to have found a new spout of energy, as if finding Bomber's bracelet guaranteed them of finding the girls alive. The reasoning wasn't correct in any way, shape or form but it had somehow given each of them, even if they wouldn't admit it, hope that Nikki and Bomber were still alive.

"So what is the significance to this bracelet?" asked Luxton, turning slightly to face the sailors behind her as she walked.

"I don't know. Something about her getting it for her 21st birthday," replied ET, attempting to sound the slightest bit helpful but failing miserably. Luxton turned to roll her eyes at him.

"I had kind of got that point," she told him, shaking her head with a smile as she pushed a branch aside and continued walking.

"Her Mum sent it to her. She hasn't talked to her in a long time," coughed up Spider, sounding more helpful than ET had just a second earlier. "I gave her hell about it but then we ended up falling overboard and being rescued by a drug dealer, who then wanted to kill us." Luxton turned to look at the young seaman in alarm, halting.

"You what?"

"Yeah. On Bomber's 21st birthday. But she dropped her bracelet on the boat when the Navy came aboard and the XO recognised it on a video," continued Spider.

"Right," replied Luxton slowly, moving forward again slowly.

Over on the Hammersley, Mike was still watching his crew on the boat just over the water. He could no longer see Swain and RO and he was still unable to see Buffer and Charge, or anyone that could possibly be aboard the boat. Mike decided it was time to radio his crew and find out what was happening. He lifted the radio closer to his mouth and was about to speak when he saw someone backing down the side. He lowered the radio and raised his binoculars. The sight before him was of partial relief, but also of worry. He could make out the figure held hostage; his chef. And at seeing her alive, gave him some level of reassurance. But then seeing the danger they were all in; Bomber, Buffer, Charge, Swain and RO; gave him the immense feeling of dread. And he didn't like it.

On the boat, Buffer could see Rich moving slowly backward. Inside the boat, Swain and RO had just come up near where Rich was holding Bomber but with the man backing further away, going from the inside was going to be pointless.

"RO," gestured Swain in a stage whisper, pointing back the way that had come from. RO nodded and followed the coxswain back out. On the outer deck, Buffer and Charge were still reasoning with Rich.

"You can't go anywhere," Charge told him. Rich raised his eyebrows.

"Oh can't I?" This comment had all their heads turning over. After seeing what this man was capable of, they didn't know what he was going to do. Rich turned his head slightly to glance behind him and Buffer took this as his cue to move forward. He got barely closer when Rich turned back, spotting the bosun moving forward and pulled his gun away from where it was held at Bomber. He aimed it at Buffer quickly and was about to fire when Swain and RO sprung him from behind. Swain managed to force the gun pointing out to sea so when the gun was fired during the struggle, it didn't hurt anyone. While Swain had Rich wrestling for his gun, Buffer made his move. Rich, struggling under the pressure from the Navy boys, struggled and lost his grip on Bomber, who fell to the ground. From behind Swain, RO managed to duck in and grab at her shoulders, dragging her out. While moved toward Rich's mate and secured him easily.

Over on the Hammersley, Mike had watched the entire thing in what seemed to have happened in an instant.

"Bravo82, this is Charlie82, SITREP, over." Buffer heard his bosses' call but was too busy subduing Rich.

"Cuffs!" he demanded and Charge was the one to hand them to him. He clipped them on and flipped Rich over.

"Don't under estimate the power of the Navy," he told him with a stern glare, pure hatred visible in his eyes. Rich smirked and Buffer shook him. "Get him back to the RHIB!" Charge obeyed Buffer's order and hauled Rich up, the engineer towering over Rich and pulling him off to the waiting RHIB.

"Bravo82, SITREP, over," repeated Mike. Buffer drew in a breath, making his way to where RO had Bomber, who was now being looked at by Swain.

"Charlie82, this is Bravo82. We have two in custody. Repeat, two in custody. And we have Bomber," replied Buffer, a smile at his last sentence.

"Good work Buff. Is she okay?" asked Mike, still watching the scene on the boat. Buffer looked over at Bomber, whose eyes were rolling and RO supported her head as Swain assessed her.

"We need to get her back to the Hammersley," Swain told Buffer, who nodded.

"She needs to get back to the Hammersley Sir," replied Buffer.

"Alright Buffer. Bring her back. Charlie82 out."

"You heard the Boss. Let's move!" ordered Buffer. Between RO and Swain, they managed to carry Bomber off the boat and into the RHIB. Had they had the choice, they would have put her in a separate RHIB to Rich but the other RHIB was still on the island.

On the island, Luxton, ET and Spider were pushing through the bush when a dark figure darted out a few metres ahead.

"Oi!" called out Luxton, swiftly moving forward, as did ET and Spider after the figure. They pushed through bush in an effort to catch up with the figure, who was wearing dark, well-camouflaged, clothing, making it all the more harder for them to keep him in view as they attempting to cover the ground. "X-Ray82, this is Sierra82, come in over."

"This is X-Ray82, go ahead, over," replied Kate, both her and Chefo drawing to a halt on the riverbank.

"We've got movement up ahead. They've made a run for it," said Luxton breathlessly as she continued to pursue the figure and her crew mates, multi tasking.

"What's your position, over?" asked Kate.

"Roughly one kilometre north-west of where you found the bracelet," was Luxton's clipped reply. As Kate listened intently to the radio, Chefo spotted movement.

"X!" he called, moving to following the fast moving figure.

"Sierra82, we've got movement ahead!" called out Kate into the radio.

"X-Ray82, Sierra82, come in, over," came the CO's voice via radio.

"This is X-Ray82," replied Kate breathlessly as she continued pursuing Chefo and the darting figure.

"Sierra82, over," came Luxton's short reply.

"We've cleared the boat. And we've got Bomber," Mike told his team on the island. Luxton and Kate both couldn't reply or tell their team mates as they were both too busy running. Chefo ducked under a branch as he continued chasing the figure as both darted swiftly in and out of the shrub.

"Stop there!" he called out as he caught up with the figure on the beach. The man they had been pursuing didn't seem to know where to go and looked around quickly.

"You've got nowhere to go," said ET, his gun raised as he came up on the other side of the man. At hearing ET's comment, the man again whipped his head around.

"Nowhere," repeated Spider who was on another side to Chefo and also ET. The man was cornered.

"What are you doing here?" demanded Luxton who had joined the team surrounding the man, as well as Kate. The man didn't answer.

"WHAT, were you doing here," repeated Kate. The man scoffed.

"X?" asked ET, unsure of what was going to happen. Instead, Kate answered a completely different answer.

"They've found Bomber on that boat," said Kate, her cold voice remaining calm as she stood, arms held out by her side.

"What?" asked Spider anxiously, turning slightly to face his XO. "Is, is she okay?"

"I don't know Spider," replied Kate, her eyes still remaining fixed on the man before them. "Tell us what you are doing here?" she again asked the man. He slowly pulled back one of his arms towards his back.

"Keep your hands where I can see them!" ordered Kate but now the man's hands moved quicker.

"He's armed!" called out ET. From his position, he could see exactly what the man was doing. The man whipped out the pistol as did Kate and Luxton. The man turned towards ET, as the person who had called out, and fired. ET ducked but the man bolted.

_There we go for now. Thanks for being so patient for updates. Ever since I got out of hospital, I have just found it really hard to be able write and update daily. I'm sorry. _

_Please review/comment on these final few chapters. I appreciate your support so much. So, until next update..._


	35. Chapter 35

_OMG! OMG! I have my very own Ruby! My little Ruby. LOL. I'm crazy I know. _

_Lucky to have an update today. My head is so sore and I have had a pounding headache all morning. We headed home a day early, we flew back to Perth just a few hours ago. It's only a short flight; an hour and a half maybe. But my parents had a big work thing to deal with so we figured we wouldn't see them much anyway and got an earlier flight. Allowing me to write this chapter._

_I was asked by someone to extend my chapters! Are they too short or something? But if I extend them any longer, you won't ever get the updates because of how long it would take me to write them. _

_Thanks to those that reviewed last chapter. I appreciate it so much. Please let me know what you think... _

Over on the Hammersley, Mike was awaiting the arrival of his crew members back on board. With Tamsin and Sally's conditions appearing to have stabilised, they had been moved to austere to allow room for Bomber, and hopefully Nikki, when they arrived. Sighting the RHIB coming up closer to the Hammersley, he strode out of the bridge and headed for the decks as the RHIB was hoisted up. Mike could see Bomber resting slightly against RO while Swain was checking her but from the direction she was tilted, he was unable to see whether she was conscious or even if she was okay.

"RO, give us a hand," Mike heard Swain call out. RO lifted Bomber's top half as Swain raised her lower half, preparing to move her from the RHIB. As they took her from the RHIB, Mike took a step closer and peered over RO's, who was walking backwards, shoulder at his usual chef and Able Seaman. She was conscious, her eyes rolling and her teeth were gritted, no doubt from the pain she apparently seemed to be in.

"Swain?" was all Mike said. Swain looked up to his boss.

"I don't know. She seems okay, for now," was all Swain said, he and RO lowering Bomber onto the stretcher waiting on the deck. They then carted her off towards the wardroom. Mike followed them down below, trailing slowly behind. "Put her here," Swain told RO with the nod of his head. RO backed further over and the stretcher carrying Bomber was placed on the table. While the thump of the stretched connecting with the hard surface underneath was minimal, it was enough to make Bomber groan and hiss in pain.

"Bomber? Can you understand me?" asked Swain, checking her eyes.

"Mhmm," replied Bomber, cringing as Swain brushed her bad arm as he moved around her. "Watch it!"

"Sorry Bomb. Have you busted your arm again?" asked Swain, bending slightly to have a look. Bomber continued to grit her teeth as Swain tried to disattach the hook holding the dark blue with white trimmings sling. Mike watched Swain grimace as he got a good look at the underneath. Bomber noticed it too.

"What is it Swain?" she groaned through gritted teeth. Swain looked at Mike before quickly glancing at Bomber, then back down to her arm.

"Looks like your break from the Hammersley is going to be extended even more," begun Swain with a slight smile, despite the situation. "You've burst your stitches." Bomber screwed her face up at this comment. "And you're losing a lot of blood from it." He fully unclipped the sling now, causing Bomber to this time cry out in pain, and applied a pressure bandage to the wound. "RO," said Swain. RO immediately moved to take Swain's place keeping pressure on her arm.

"I've got to get back to the bridge. Keep me updated," Mike told Swain. Swain nodded as Mike moved off.

Over on the island, the pursuit of the runaway island man was ongoing. After ET had gotten himself up after being shot at, he had too begun pursuing the man, along with the rest of his crew mates. After being in the best position to pursue the man, Chefo had made a dash after the runaway and so was best positioned in the chase. Spotting an escape route to the right of him, Spider barely hesitated before taking the track. ET spotted him doing so and followed, knowing Chefo had a good distance on the guy. Kate and Luxton were rushing off in separate directions to where Chefo had headed.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, come in over." Kate glanced down at the radio and stopped to answer it.

"This is X-Ray82, go ahead."

"We've got Bomber now. She appears to be alright. What's your situation, over," asked Mike.

"We've got an armed man that we are pursuing," replied Kate casually, as if it meant nothing. But she didn't want Mike to get all tight over the situation.

"You what?" replied Mike, his voice changing as quickly as the change of events had happened. _Too late, _thought Kate.

"We've got one man that we are in pursuit of, over," repeated Kate. "We are unsure as to what he is doing. But Sir, he is one of the men from the boat we searched last night."

"She must be on the island," said Mike quietly to himself. Although he mustn't have said it too quietly because he had left the radio on and Kate picked up on it.

"Sorry Sir. I didn't get that. Say again, over."

"Nikki must be on that island," Mike told her, pushing aside the thought that she might not be on either the boat or the island, but at the bottom of the ocean.

"Yes Sir," replied Kate. "X-Ray82 out." She was readjusting her vest before readjusting the grip on her own weapon and moving forward slowly, realising that she was all alone and the deep forest around her was very quiet.

Back on the Hammersley, Swain was still assessing Bomber. From what he could gather, she possibly had a few broken or bruised ribs, obviously her arm and possibly a concussion. But she didn't appear to have been drugged. The drowsiness she was showing was more fitting to be concussed.

"Don't go to sleep Bomber," Swain reminded the chef as her eyes closed droopily. She reopened them slowly and looked straight upwards. Swain turned his back to her and reached into the medical kit.

"Did you find them?" Swain was startled by the comment and turned back around.

"Who? Did we find who? Are you talking about Tamsin and Sal?"

"You found them?" asked Bomber groggily in reply. Swain nodded.

"Yes we did. They're resting now."

"Is Nikki still with him?" asked Bomber, her head lolling sideways again. Swain listened intently to what she was saying.

"Him? Who's he?" asked Swain, prompting her to continue.

"The boat guy," replied Bomber, as if it was obvious. "They took Nikki and I to the island with them." Swain really perked up at this.

"An island? Are you sure?" asked Swain firmly. Bomber grunted a yes. It was all Swain needed to spur him into action, standing quickly and reaching for the internal phone.

"Thanks Swain," said Mike into the handpiece a minute later. He replaced it back on the hook before reaching for the radio.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, come in over." On the island, Kate stopped again briefly to answer the radio before she felt the cool metal press to her neck and her fingers pushed away from the radio.

"I think you might like to come with me," said a snarly sounding man. Kate turned slightly over her shoulder to see that it was Rob, one of Rich's mates and the man they had been pursuing over the various different places of the island. He had somehow managed to lose Chefo and the other Hammersley crew members on the island. Before Kate could think further, he pulled the strap of her Kevlar vest and turned her around, pulling her back in the direction she had just come from, gun still pressed to her neck.

Meanwhile, on the Hammersley, Mike was waiting for his XO to reply.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, come in over." Again no reply. By now, Mike was getting frustrated, not to mention worried.

"Sierra82, come in over."

"This is Sierra82," replied Luxton far too long for Mike's liking, despite the fact she had actually replied in a matter of seconds.

"I can't get in touch with the XO," said Mike. "And according to Bomber, Nikki is on the island."

"I'll try get in contact with her Sir," replied Luxton.

"Roger Sierra82. Keep me informed. Charlie82 standing by." Sighing, Luxton tried to reach the XO.

"X-Ray82, this is Sierra82, come in over." Luxton tried a few more times, knowing that the other member of Team X-Ray wouldn't reply if he was still pursuing the man. But Kate should have.

Just a short distance in reality from where Luxton, ET, Spider and Chefo were, Kate was being pushed into an area that seemed to be getting darker the further she was pushed. The metal of the gun was still to be felt against her neck, ordering her to move forward without any words necessary. The whole time she walked, Kate could only think of what the others who had been through this man's deadly wrath would have felt like.

"Move," growled Rob, but only loud enough for her to hear in his gruff voice. He pushed her on before turning her toward a small, dark, bunker stile enclosure. An enclosure that held a traumatised and injured Nikki.

_Another one finito! Please read/review/comment. I really, really want to hear your opinions._

_I am so happy. I got my own little Ruby! Jayden brought her for me and she was waiting when I got home. She is exactly like how I described Nikki's Ruby in my Sea Patrol fictions. It is kind of scary, she really does seem like a replica of the fiction one and I did name her Ruby. Jayden has read the descriptions when he has seen me writing it and he said he assumed I would really like my own Ruby. So he brought her for me! He's so sweet. And his reasoning... So I would have something to smile about. So I know have my own little Ruby. LOL._


	36. Chapter 36

_**Here's the next update. I wrote the first part to this a week ago and just never extended it. Believe it or not, I wrote part of this yesterday whilst I was locked away in my dressing room *shrugs* Had to do something to kill the time. Anyway, I'm savouring a couple of hours at home for the first time in days so I thought I'd write the next chapter. **_

_**I have had a long week and lots of late nights so there are bound to be some errors, all of which are my fault. And Bomber is a bit OOC this chapter but I took most of it from experience after a car accident when I was 8. Apparently you can be a bit delusional when you're concussed!**_

_**Thanks to everyone for commenting on the previous chapter. And sorry it took so long! Dedicated to you awesome people.**_

*****

After Luxton reported back to Mike that there was no reply from Kate, the crew on the island, including Chefo who had now responded for Team X-Ray, as well as the Hammersley crew were worried. While many tried to push the bad thoughts from their minds, they were also dealing with the negative thoughts crowding their minds and often finding it hard to rid their heads of such thoughts.

"X-Ray82, this is Charlie82, come in over," Mike tried again helplessly. On the island, the team, minus Kate, had now regathered by the stream that Kate had been so lost in earlier. At hearing Mike's call again, Chefo looked down at his radio but didn't even answer, despite being a member of Team X-Ray for he knew who Mike was really calling.

What the team on the island didn't know was that just behind them, in the small, hidden shelter, was their missing Executive Officer, along with Nikki. While both girls were alert to their shipmates being just metres away from them and hearing them talking, they were silenced from saying anything, as both were too scared to try anything heroic with the gun in Rob's hands still pointed squarely at them.

Outside the girls' prison, the Hammersley crew members were planning their next moves. Still on the search for Nikki and now missing Kate, they were stumped.

"Sierra82, this is Charlie82, SITREP, over," said Mike via the radio. Luxton glanced down slightly at the noise before going to respond.

"This is Sierra82. Sir, there's no sign of anyone on the island and there is no sign of the XO," replied Luxton. As Mike listened to this, he ran his hands over his mouth, processing exactly what the officer on the other end was saying to him.

"I'm sending Buffer and RO back to the island to help with the search. Just find them," he decided, running a hand through his hair.

"Yes Sir," replied Luxton, replacing her radio before turning to her team surrounding her. "Alright, you heard the boss. Spider, ET, head that way along the outcrop. Chefo, with me. We'll head back this way and towards the beach to meet the RHIB's. Any questions?"

"No ma'am," they chorused.

"Alright, let's find them!" declared Luxton, moving off and prompting the others to do the same. The group parted with Chefo and Luxton heading back towards the beaches to meet Buffer and RO whilst ET and Spider continued along the stream. And further away from the girls.

As Mike waited for more news back on the Hammersley, he made his way down to the wardroom to see how Bomber was doing. Knocking on the open door, Mike stepped into the room.

"Bomber?" he called out softly to the chef, who was sitting upright on the seat.

"Boss," she addressed him, shifting her arm, causing her face to contort in pain.

"How you going?" asked Mike, the obvious answer that she wasn't very well indeed.

"Just fine Sir. I want to sleep for a hundred years but Swain says I'm not allowed to," replied Bomber, attempting to plaster a smile on her face. "Have they found Nikki?" Mike paused for a moment before answering. Eventually he shook his head in reply.

"No, no not yet." Bomber closed her eyes and nodded slowly. Mike moved closer to the table. "Bomber, do you remember what happened?" Bomber reopened her eyes at this question but didn't answer straight up, as if she was trying to work out what he had just asked her.

"We went out on the boat," started Bomber, staring out straight in front of her as she tried to recall the events of what had happened. "It was sunny and we were talking about bad in-laws." Mike laughed quietly as he listened, glancing up slightly at the sound of Swain entering the room but his presence didn't even seem to fall upon Bomber's ears; she was too caught up in what she was trying to remember.

"What happened after that?" prompted Mike as Swain took a seat.

"And I don't remember what happened next. I just remember waking up and I couldn't see properly," said Bomber, pushing back her hair with her good arm, beginning to feel frustrated at not remembering the events.

"It's alright Bomber, just take your time," encouraged Swain. Before Bomber could continue, the overhead intercom sounded.

"CO, bridge, at the rush," came Charge's voice. Mike looked top Swain, nodding before departing the room quickly. Swain, however, didn't move. He sat and intently listened to what Bomber was trying to piece together.

"And my eyes were starting to clear and then one of them saw me and he came back over and hit me with something," added Bomber, still sounding unsure despite the fact that she could see this section of events clearly in her head. "And then it was black. But before that I remember reaching for Nikki." Bomber was shaking her head. "I don't remember anything else."

"That's good Bomber. Just take your time. That's good," responded Swain, seeing the pain in Bomber's eyes as to the hazy details. For Bomber, it was as if the feelings were completely out of her control and she couldn't do anything about it.

"Why can't remember?" Bomber asked Swain in disbelief, not able to believe she couldn't remember what had happened. "Why can't I remember?!"

"Bomber, it's normal," Swain tried reassuring her. "You've got a head injury; it's completely normal!"

"But... But I remember trying, trying to reach Nikki, so they didn't hurt her... But, but they hit me first. And then I didn't see her again!" exclaimed Bomber breathlessly, more and more facts coming rushing back to her.

"Bomber, slow down," warned Swain, knowing she'd get ahead of herself and then be faced with disappointment. "Just take your time."

"That's it Swain," said Bomber with the shake of her head. "That's it. I let her go."

"You didn't let her go," replied Swain firmly. "There wasn't anything you could have done."

"I had her hand and then it slipped away..."

Over on the island, Buffer and RO had joined the rest of the shore party in the search. ET and Spider were still tracking along their designated route and Luxton and Chefo were making ground. They had reached the spot again where ET and Spider had headed off from just a little while earlier.

"Sierra82, this is Charlie82, SITREP over," came Mike's voice, urging Luxton and Chefo to an abrupt halt.

"This is Sierra82. There's still no sign of them," replied Luxton, knowing it was the words the captain was dreading. And she was right. On the Hammersley, Mike had been pacing and waiting for news. Waiting for Mike's response, Luxton was startled by a small noise.

"You hear that?" Luxton turned to Chefo as he spoke quietly, knowing she hadn't imagined the sound if he had heard it too. She nodded.

"Keep searching," replied Mike as Luxton and Chefo glanced around and waited for more noise.

Just to the left of Chefo and Luxton, Kate and Nikki were still being silenced by a gun. The black metal of the pistol had come closer to Kate as had cleared her throat, trying to be as quiet as possible. The tickling that had been in her throat was driving her berserk and she hadn't been able to take it any longer, clearing her throat as quietly as possible. But Rob had heard it, pushing the weapon in his hands closer to her as a warning to be quiet. But the noise had been heard by her fellow crew mates just a few metres away. Whether or not they thought much of it was another story. While Rob turned to glance towards the door way, the gun still aimed at the girls, Kate stole a glance at her pregnant friend. Her eyes were closed and her breaths wheezy. _That can't be good, _thought Kate to herself. Every now and then, Nikki's eyes would flutter open slightly, before closing again, as if she was extremely tired.

"Shhh," whispered Rob as he turned around. Kate turned her head up to look at him, watching as he raised his free hand to signal her to be quiet. He turned his face back around, paranoid that someone would hear and find out the disclosed location that he was holding people hostage in. Kate took it as her chance.

There was silence before a loud noise, alerting anyone nearby and anyone as far away as to the Hammersley to it.

Luxton and Chefo nearby heard it, ducking out of instinct at such a loud, familiar noise so close.

A little further away, ET and Spider heard it, not as loudly as Chefo and Luxton had but still slightly ducking from intense training drills they had had and holding up their weapons.

Buffer and RO stopped dead at the familiar noise in the distance. Wondering who had caused it.

Over on the Hammersley, Mike raised his binoculars and scanned the island up ahead as Charge stood and moved next to Mike at the window.

Finally another noise was heard.

"This is Charlie82, who fired that shot, over?"

_*********_

_**What do you think? Hate me yet? This chapter didn't turn out the way I planned it but that's how it is. The main reason I think it didn't work is because I think I am at the start of a bout of writers block. Uh oh... **_

_**Thank you to all my loyal readers/reviewers. You are absolutely awesome people and I can't thank you enough. **_

_**Again, I am so sorry for making you wait so long. I have had a bit of writers block on top of how busy I am so this story just wasn't happening. I'm also beginning to doubt whether I'll have this finished by the time I leave for Italy! LOL. **_

_**Anyway, please review/comment. I want to hear your thoughts...**_


	37. Chapter 37

_**Okay, so it's been a while. *Shrug* What can I say? I've had writers block. And I just got back from a holiday in Cairns/Canberra. **_

_**Thanks for those reviews guys, especially **__7 __**and **__Ellen __**who reviewed last time. **_

_********_

There was silence as all teams registered what had just happened. Buffer was the first one to break the ice.

"All teams, this is Bravo82, that wasn't us, over."

"Roger Bravo82," responded Luxton. "And that's a negative for us."

"That wasn't us," added ET through the radio a moment later.

"What's going on there, over," came Mike's desperate voice, wondering what had happened. Being back on the boat and only being able to hear was almost as bad, possibly worse, than being on the island and seeing it firsthand. Waiting, and not knowing, was torturing.

"Ah, Charlie82, this is Sierra82, we've had a shot fired. But it wasn't from one of ours, over," said Luxton, speaking into the radio but not stopping her eyes from glancing cautiously around her.

"Do you have the culprit?" asked Mike, not liking what he was hearing. Luxton sighed, looking towards Chefo as she prepared to answer, knowing how much the Captain would not like to hear what was coming.

"No Sir. We're trying to locate their position now, over," replied Luxton with a sigh. Over on the Hammersley, Mike was feeling frustrated that he wasn't doing anything, feeling completely and utterly useless. He sighed obviously.

"Roger. Keep me informed. Charlie82 standing by."

"Lets make our way this way," Luxton told Chefo quietly, holding out one arm. "The noise echoed through there." Chefo nodded and took a step before speaking out.

"Ma'am," he said, pausing. Luxton stopped too, turning to face Chefo. He indicated for her to listen. There was silence for a moment before the obvious sound of scuffling. Any noises were muffled so they could barely be heard.

"What the hell is this?!" hissed Luxton, moving towards the scrub. She pulled away a branch before seeing the opening. The sounds were louder now, and definitely didn't sound positive. Chefo went to make forward but Luxton grabbed his arm. "Wait, we'll contact the others first."

"Yes Ma'am," he replied quietly, standing just off from the opening. It was dark through the clearing, so nothing was visible.

"All teams, this is Sierra82. Join me here now," ordered Luxton. With that, she clicked the safety off her gun and indicated for Chefo to move forward. "Alright, go!" Chefo pushed into the clearing, Luxton following behind him. They moved quickly in, the natural light from outside being left behind them. It wasn't completely dark inside, but it wasn't as light as outside. But they could still make out the figures.

"XO?" said Luxton, catching glimpse of the blonde hair and female figure, standing up almost completely straight. Luxton pulled the torch out of the strap around her leg and turned it on, focusing the beam on the figure. Kate was standing, a gun pointed downwards to where a man was lying with blood seeping for a wound on his leg. At hearing her name, Kate looked up.

"It's alright Ma'am," said Chefo, pulling out the bandage from his zip pocket and putting it over the man's wound. He yelled out in pain.

"Stupid cow!" he spat out.

"I think that would be what you get for taking two Navy sailors hostage," replied Luxton bitterly. She took a step towards Kate, plucking the gun from Kate's hands. Having been released from the weapon, Kate turned around, to where Nikki was still gathered in a heap on the floor.

"Nik?" asked Kate, lifting up her friend's head.

"Are your Lieutenant Caetano?" added Luxton from behind Kate.

"It's Nikki. And I'm right," replied Nikki weakly, her eyes flickering.

"Yeah sure," replied Kate sarcastically, keeping Nikki's head up. Luxton was still standing behind Kate.

"Are you alright there Chefo?" she asked the medic. "I'm going to show the others were to go."

"I doubt he'll be going anywhere," replied Chefo. As Luxton left, Chefo looked up. "Are you two alright?"

"I'm fine Chefo," replied Kate. "It's Nikki I'm worried about."

"I'm fine!" mumbled Nikki. Her eyes closed and Kate lifted her head more.

"No, you need to stay awake! That's an order!" Kate told her. Despite her eyes still being closed, Nikki gave a small smile and smirked. Slowly, she opened her eyes.

"You're not my superior," she jokingly replied. Kate laughed.

"Nikki!" Those in the shelter heard people approaching and ET's voice ring out. Luxton came back in, ET and Buffer right behind her.

"I'm fine," was Nikki's groggy reply to her name. As ET entered, he spotted her and immediately made for her whilst Buffer went to assist Chefo.

"I think you'll find the feds are going to be very interested in you," said Buffer, standing over Rob as Chefo pressed the bandage against his leg, attempting to stem the blood flow.

"She shot me!" yelled Rob back, gritting as Chefo pressed down harder on his leg.

"You took three Navy sailors hostage, as well as god knows how many civilians, not to mention murder!" Buffer yelled at him, tempers flaring. "I'd say she was well within her rights!"

"Murder? I didn't murder no one!"

"You murdered my mother," piped up Nikki, Kate and ET standing protectively by her side, holding her up. She had fought them to stand up to him; she wanted to confront him. After the pain he had caused her, she wanted the chance to be standing over him. For the past few hours, he had been the one standing over her. And she wanted that to change.

"What's she talking about?" spat Rob, turning his head. But no one else said anything, allowing Nikki the chance to speak.

"My mother? She died. Because you poisoned her! You murdered her. No one else," Nikki said defensively. "And I hope like hell you rot in prison. Because it will never, ever, come anywhere close to the pain we felt when you killed her." With that, ET and Kate pulled her away, supporting her so she didn't collapse.

"Lets get her out of here," suggested Luxton, to which Kate and ET nodded. Despite her rightful outburst, Nikki was in no way able to walk on her own and ET and Kate literally had to drag her out of there. Emerging from the shelter, Spider and RO, who were waiting just beyond there, saw them come out and rushed over to help.

"Nikki?" said Spider, his voice raising an octave higher like it always did in tense situations. ET and Kate gently lowered her onto the orange stretcher RO had just flicked out. Her eyes were closed again, all her energy used up from her speech just the moment before.

"Nikki?" said ET softly, gently slapping her cheek when she didn't open her eyes.

"Lets get her back to the Hammersley," ordered Kate. RO went to lift the end of the stretcher near her feet while ET broke trying to wake her and lifted the end nearest her head.

"On three. One, two, THREE!" counted RO as he and ET lifted it up. Kate went to step back but ET paused.

"Ma'am." Kate stopped at this. "You should get checked out too." Kate was going to protest when RO added his own thoughts.

"ET's right Ma'am. And you're bleeding," he told her, nodding towards her. It wasn't until Kate rubbed her head and her hand drew back blood, that she realised this.

"I should help," she replied quietly. The usually composed officer seemed lost.

"I'll help them X," jumped in Spider, already moving towards where the shelter was. With no excuses, Kate followed the men carrying Nikki back towards the RHIB's. After they had moved off, there was still no movement for several minutes. Finally, Rob was brought out, where he was then placed on yet another waiting stretcher. Chefo was keeping the pressure on the wound while Spider and Buffer carried the stretcher, Spider carrying the end where his head was, Buffer where his feet were. Luxton was following behind.

"Charlie82, this is Sierra82, come in over."

"This is Charlie82, go ahead," replied Mike almost instantly, having obviously been waiting for the long coming call.

"We've got Nikki and the XO. They're on route to Hammersley now, over," said Luxton, still trailing behind the others. On the Hammersley, Mike looked out the window, directly ahead to the island where he could see one of his RHIB's turning in the water for the journey back to the Hammersley.

"Roger. Are they okay?"

"The XO's fine. And Nikki was conscious when they left but I'm not sure, over," replied Luxton as they arrived at the second RHIB. While Rob was lifted onto the RHIB, Luxton watched as the other RHIB neared the Hammersley.

Over on the Hammersley, the first RHIB had just arrived alongside. The RHIB crane was about to lift it up. Mike had come down from the bridge, as had Charge and they were moving hastily along the side. They reached their destination, the boat deck, and stood back as the RHIB was lifted back into place. Once it stopped, they both stepped forward.

"How we doing?" yelled Mike above the noise from the ocean and the RHIB crane.

"All good Sir," replied Kate, rubbing her head. "I don't know about Nikki though." RO stood and motioned to ET. They squatted for a minute before rising, lifting the orange stretcher up. Charge stood directly underneath where they were coming from the RHIB, to offer other assistance. Once the stretcher had been lifted off, Mike looked over at his former navigator.

"How are we Nikki?" he asked but didn't get a response. "Alright, get her to the wardroom!" ET and RO headed immediately off whilst Mike waited for Kate. "Are you really okay X?" he asked as she stepped off. She rubbed her head again, wincing as her hand hit an obvious sore spot on her head. Mike saw the spot of blood on the edge of her head and decided what she was doing next.

"Go get Swain to check you out." When Kate faltered, he added, "Now." Kate sighed and moved off in front of him, knowing if she refused, he would just make it an order, something she couldn't refute.

****

_**That's a wrap. I didn't like the first part. But that was the best I could get it. And trust me, that took a lot of tweaking in itself!**_

_**What are we all thinking? Your thoughts? Love to hear them. **_

_**I'll try again to update again as soon as possible. Just be thankful though that you got one now! **_

_**Please read/comment/review. Much appreciated. **_


	38. Chapter 38

_**So here is the update. I hope you like it. Thanks to the very special people who have been reviewing. I appreciate it. Please comment or review this next chapter. I would love to hear from you. **_

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ET and RO were making their way along the corridor en route to the wardroom. Robert was holding the stretcher so it was behind his back and he could see where he was going. Further down the corridor, they could see Swain standing at the edge of the wardroom's door, awaiting the new arrivals.

"How is she?" asked Swain as they neared him. He knew only what had been passed onto him via the CO, which was very little. While Swain had known if would have been easier for him to have gone to the island himself, he hadn't been able to leave Bomber. While Sally and Tamsin appeared to be doing fine, Bomber still wasn't alright on her own just yet.

"She's out of it again," replied RO after glancing over his shoulder, catching his breath again. So far, ET hadn't said much. He appeared to be a million miles away.

"Just put her here," instructed Swain, standing a step back as ET and RO placed the stretcher down on the table. Bomber had been moved against the wall in the same room so that Swain could continue to keep an eye on her.

"You've got another coming," added RO as he stood back. Swain turned his head back towards the radio officer.

"Another one?" Swain sighed. " How bad?" But it was ET that answered him.

"The XO shot him. So he's not exactly happy." Swain looked at him unbelievingly. Why hadn't anyone told him this?

"The X shot him?" RO and ET both nodded.

"It was self defence though," added ET quickly. Swain nodded, processing this and allowing thoughts to run through his head.

"We're going to have to move Bomber out of here. She appears to be stable at the moment but I'll move her into austere with Sal and Tamsin."

"Swain, can you check her out too please?" interrupted Mike a moment later, causing Swain, ET and RO to turn around at his voice. Mike was leading Kate into the wardroom by the elbow, her hand pressed against the side of her head.

"You look like you're about to pass out, X," added RO, as if the comment was helpful. The others turned to glare at him and even Kate looked up slightly. "I'm going to go to the bridge if I'm not needed here."

"You can get onto NAVcom and inform them of the situation," said Mike as RO began to leave. "And get fleet medical on the line as well to advise Swain."

"Ah, I already had that arranged after I heard of the incoming," jumped in Swain quickly. RO simply nodded and left the wardroom, directed for the bridge.

As Swain finished up examining her and Bomber, who was fast asleep, had been moved to austere, Nikki began to feel the plastic trapping her mouth and nose, the feeling of suffocation overwhelming her. The urge to fight came over her and she began to pull at the offending object, the last memory she had being of Kate and not knowing whether she was okay.

"Kate?" Nikki's groggy voice interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"She's right here," said ET in a soothing voice, moving over towards Nikki. As he moved over, Nikki began to struggle with the oxygen mask that was placed over her face.

"Just keep that on," added Swain as he too moved closer. "I promise it will help." While to her the plastic covering her face felt like a restricting object, Nikki could recognise the voice of the Hammersley's medic and could sense the trust in him. So she began to relax and realised that he was right; by relaxing, her rapid breathing began to subside, the oxygen able to reach her lungs.

"CO, bridge," came RO's voice from the internal. He had obviously made it to the bridge by now and Mike turned to leave at this.

"Keep me informed Swain," said Mike, taking one final glance at Kate, who had her eyes closed and was leaning against the wall. "X?" he questioned, pausing when he saw her closed eye lids. And while she didn't open her eyes, she raised her hand in an indication she was alright, allowing Mike to leave for the bridge.

"I don't know," said Nikki, moving her head from left to right. ET, who was holding her hand, looked over to Swain as he tried to get her to calm down.

"Nikki, just relax alright. We're going to get you to a hospital as soon as we can," said Swain reassuringly.

"Hospital? I don't want to go to hospital. I want to go dancing!" replied Nikki, her tone changing despite how muffled her voice was from the oxygen mask. Swain smiled and looked to ET, who was frowning but with a smile on his face. It was obvious she was having "a moment".

"You can go dancing when you are back to a more normal state," replied Swain with a laugh. But Nikki didn't hear this comment; she had closed her eyes. "I'll just check on the X," Swain told ET. ET nodded and held Nikki's hand tighter as Swain moved backwards towards Kate.

"I'm fine Swain," said Kate, opening her eyes at his approach. "Just look after them for now."

"They're alright for now, Ma'am," said Swain with the shake of his head. He pulled on some new gloves before reaching for something in the medical kit beside him. "Bomber's still fast asleep and Nikki's discussing her urge to go dancing so I think they'll be okay for a minute."

"What about her baby?" asked Kate, looking up as Swain held up a light.

"Just follow this light for me. The baby seems to be okay at the moment. But they'll check on everything properly when they get to hospital."

"Swain!" was Chefo's call from down the hallway. At hearing this, Swain stood up and took a step towards the door and peered out, ET turned to watch over his shoulder but didn't let go of Nikki's hand and Kate leant over to peer out from behind Swain.

"Jeez!" exclaimed Swain as he saw the blood soaked bandages around Rob's leg. "What have we got?"

"Single gunshot wound to the right leg. It appears to have missed the femoral artery, but only just," replied Chefo, manoeuvring his way around the doorframe, trying to keep firm pressure on the wound while Buffer and Spider turned the stretcher into the wardroom. Swain set to work already, organising essential items of medical equipment.

"Spider, take over from Chefo? Keep firm pressure on the wound," instructed Swain, not even really waiting for an answer. But Spider did as asked, placing both hands over Rob's leg, causing the said man to groan out loudly as the hands swapped, the change in pressure causing a burst of pain to flare through his body.

"We'll need to attach the IV line," said Chefo, removing the blood splattered gloves that had previously been encasing his hands.

"Yeah, I'll look after that. Can you just check X out?" said Swain, at the same time moving to unwind an IV line.

"Got it," was Chefo's reply, pulling on another set of white gloves before moving over to Kate.

_1345 hours, HMAS Hammersley_

Just a few hours after the traumatic ordeal was over, the Hammersley was still dealing with problems. The matter of the girls as well as Rob, needing hospital care. And also the little problem of his mates causing a ruckus on deck. The Hammersley and its crew had certainly put an end to their spree of torturous crimes and money syphoning. And they weren't very happy about it, not that anyone cared.

With the Hammersley almost back in port, Swain was doing a check on the patients he acquired on the trip. What had started off as just your everyday patrol had turned into a hellish nightmare and he, along with just about everyone else, were just glad they had come through it. He opened the door to austere, finding all three girls, Bomber, Sally and Tamsin, fast asleep. All were still using oxygen, following instructions to do so. They couldn't be sure that they hadn't taken poison, so it was a safety precaution. But from the states Sally and Tamsin had been found in, it appeared at the very least they had.

After checking Bomber and Tamsin, who remained fast asleep, Swain made his way over to his wife. Brushing a piece of her loose hair away from her face caused her eyelids to flutter. Seeing her begin to open her eyes, Swain let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in.

"Hey babe," he whispered. Beneath the oxygen mask, he saw her smile, before reaching up to pull the mask away from her mouth, let it rest around her neck.

"That certainly sucked," she told him quietly. Swain smiled and chuckled quietly.

"I bet it did. And we've still got to get you to hospital yet."

"No I don't want to!" replied Sally. "I just want to go home and have a bath." Swain smiled, shaking his head.

"Not yet you won't be," he smiled.

"I just want to see Chloe," Sally added, turning her head to the side before facing forward again.

"I know you do. But I spoke to my parents a little while ago. Chloe's just fine," he reassured his wife. Sally nodded slightly, closing her eyes. A minute later, with Swain still watching her, she reopened them, a small, cheeky smile on her face.

"You're the worst medic, making me go to hospital." Swain laughed, his mouth forming a disbelieving smile, even though he could tell she was joking.

"Oh, am I?! Well, if it makes you feel any better, Nikki doesn't want to go to hospital either. She wants to go dancing instead."

"She's okay then?" asked Sally at the mention of her friend. Swain shrugged his shoulders slightly.

"For now. They won't know anything for sure until she gets to hospital." Sally didn't press him any further, letting her eyes settle closed again. Swain could tell she was still drowsy, a side effect to indicate she had indeed been given a poison of some sort. He heard a groan from another of the racks, making him turn and causing Sally to open her eyes and shift her head.

"Tamsin, it's alright. Do you remember where you are?" asked Swain, moving away from his wife's side to check on the newly awake Tamsin. She groaned, her eyes squinting in the offending light.

"A boat," she replied eventually, holding up her arm to shield the light.

"You're on the HMAS Hammersley. And you're okay now. Do you remember coming on board earlier?" asked Swain, unsure if she even remembered being awake on the Hammersley earlier. She nodded.

"I need to call Matt," Swain managed to make out from beneath the oxygen mask pressed to her face. She made to sit up as quickly as possible for her in her drowsy state, until Swain made her lie backward again.

"It's alright, okay? Our radio officer spoke to him a little while ago to inform him that you had been found. He'll be waiting alongside when we dock in port," Swain told her, hoping it would make her relax a bit more.

"Hey Tam!" called out Sally groggily from a short distance away. A small smile formed for Tamsin at hearing Sally.

"Hey Sal. I take it she's okay?" Swain nodded in response to this.

"As well as can be, probably about the same as you I'd think."

"And Nik and Bec?"

"Bomber's just over there," started Swain, nodding back over his shoulder in a general direction. "And Nikki's in the wardroom." Tamsin nodded slightly again, groaning as she shifted. She closed her eyes again as Swain stepped back.

****

The HMAS Hammersley docked in port approximately half an hour later. Ambulances were already waiting alongside, on standby to ferry the injured to hospital. Also alongside, were Matt and Swain's parents, as well as the federal police. With Nikki and Rob listed as most critical, they were the first two taken off the Hammersley. ET and Swain carried Nikki's stretcher off towards the first ambulance. At seeing his sister being taken off the Naval ship, Matt quickly made his way over. Swain's parents held back a bit, but still made their way slightly over.

"Is she alright?" asked Matt in a worried voice, not even bothering to say hello out of fear for his sister. "And where's Tam?"

"They're taking her to hospital in a minute. But with your sister and the man over there in more need of urgent medical attention, they'll get transported first," answered Swain. Matt took a deep breath in, running his hand over his mouth before looking at his younger sister, who had her eyes closed. The paramedics from one of the ambulances joined them on the dock, beginning to assess the situation.

"What have we got here?" asked the female paramedic with dark, short hair in a ponytail.

"Ah, we've got a 26-year-old pregnant female who has suffered a significant amount of trauma, and has possibly ingested a toxin of some sort," Swain told her, as the stretcher was turned around. Matt and ET, who were on opposite sides of Nikki, circled with the stretcher as it turned, loaded into the ambulance.

From the decks, Mike was watching as his former navigator was placed inside the awaiting ambulance, his electronics technician climbing in before the doors shut. He also saw Swain turn back around as the ambulance leave, sirens blaring, and talk briefly to the people on the dock, before hurrying back up the Hammersley's gangplank. Next, Bomber was carried by Spider and Buffer. Mike watched as each person was placed into a waiting ambulance. Finally, after Bomber had left the docks, Swain re-emerged with Spider, carrying Sally from the Hammersley while RO and Buffer carried Tamsin off. At seeing his girlfriend finally taken from the ship, Matt quickly made his way over, as did Swain's parents to Sally. They had already told Swain, who had worried when he hadn't seen his daughter with his parents, that Chloe was with Swain's brother and his wife.

Mike watched as each patient was assessed, guessing that their conditions were being described to the paramedics when he felt a shadow next to him. Turning, he saw his executive officer.

"What are you doing here X?" he asked her instantly. "You need to get checked out at the hospital."

"I'm fine," replied Kate with the shake of her head. "Chefo checked me over."

"Kate, I am not arguing. Come on," he told her, taking her arm and dragging her to where the hum of people were on the docks.

****

_**There we go. Wow, that chapter turned out a lot longer than I had planned it. It was well over 2,000 words; usually the chapters are 1,700 – 1,800 words long! LOL**_

_**Did you like it? This story was tough, sometimes hard to write, but also so much fun. Thank you to everyone that has read/reviewed it and given me such support. I cannot thank you enough. **_


	39. Chapter 39

_**I've updated already! Wow, haven't updated that quickly in a long time! LOL. And this chapter is quite long. But I decided I didn't want to divide it; I wanted all of this to go together. So happy reading!**_

_**Thanks must go to **__Ellen__**, **__7__** and **__ParkerGirl __**who commented on the last chapter. Thank you so much.**_

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_1555 hours, Barry General Hospital_

After the "mass" hospitalisation of many of the Hammersley's crew family and friends, many of the crew were camped at various parts of the hospital. Nikki and Bomber had been located to the same room, 129, whilst Tamsin and Sally were in another, 127. In room 129, ET and Spider were both in talking to Bomber whilst Nikki was asleep.

"I just want to know," said Bomber, talking to the boys next to her bed. Spider was sitting closest to Bomber whilst ET had a seat just next to him, in perfect distance to turn around should Nikki decide to awake.

"Actually it's probably better you don't remember," replied ET honestly, turning back to face her after another of his continual glances back at Nikki. "It's like having a car accident and then waking up and remembering it all." Bomber seemed to see the reason in this, but still replied.

"I guess, I just want to know. I feel like there's this big chunk missing and I don't have clue what's going on."

"Just focus on getting better Bomb," said Spider softly, a small smile on his face.

Outside room 129, Mike was with Charge and RO in the waiting area when Kate finally came out to join them, having finally seen a doctor.

"I'm fine. All clear," she told the waiting group, throwing up her hands to emphasize how okay she was. She was jumping in before the questions of "are you okay" started.

"That's good Ma'am," was Charge's reply. Kate glanced through the open door of room 129, seeing Nikki asleep in the closest bed, Spider and ET seated in between her bed and Bomber's just next to hers.

"Are they okay?" Kate asked, turning back to the sailors behind her. Mike nodded.

"Bomber had to have her arm fixed up again and she's broken a few ribs. Her tox screen came back negative though." Kate nodded as Mike continued. "Sally and Tamsin both ingested the toxin but they'll be okay; it should be clear from their systems soon."

"That's good news," replied Kate. "And Nikki?"

"She's the lucky one. She tested positive to the poison as well. Apparently she was lucky to get to hospital alive with having a heart condition." Kate nodded, absorbing all this information. She turned around as she heard another set of feet approach, spotting Swain coming out of the neighbouring hospital room. He wiped his hands on the side of his uniform as he came over.

"How's Sal?" asked Mike as the coxswain approached. Swain shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"She's going to be okay. And she seems to be alright; she's laughing and joking. And she wants to see Chloe. But she's still a bit drowsy, but that's to be expected." The others nodded. Again, they looked up as Matt closed the door to Sally and Tamsin's room, joining the group.

"Is there anything more on Nikki?" asked Matt. RO was the one to answer this one.

"Not anything more than you already know." Matt nodded.

"What is it about girls and causing big scenes?" smiled Matt with the shake of his head. The others laughed.

"That's women for you, mate," replied Charge, patting Matt on the back before he moved off to get coffee.

"So, what happened with the people behind all this? Was it connected to what happened to my Mum?" asked Matt, running a hand through his hair.

"That's what seems to fit," replied Swain. "But we need to speak to the federal police before they can conclude that."

"They want us to speak to them as soon as possible," added Mike. "Swain, you'll need to come too." Swain nodded.

"Might as well do it now. Get it over and done with," said Swain. "I'll just go say goodbye to Sal." Mike nodded.

_1612 hours, NAVcom_

Swain and Mike arrived at NAVcom, where they were scheduled to meet the feds, after a short drive from Barry General Hospital. Swain climbed out of the driver's side of his parents' white Holden Commodore, having snagged the keys from them at the hospital. Mike climbed out of the passenger side and shut the door, just as Swain activated the locks. Making their way towards the steps, they saluted and officer leaving the building before they went inside. Commander Marshall was standing with two federal agents, the same agents that had been present when Nikki identified her mother's body.

"Here they are," Commander Marshall said to the waiting feds.

"Sorry we took so long," said Mike apologetically as he arrived next to the clan. "I'm sure you've heard about the incident?" The woman federal agent smiled and nodded.

"This is Lieutenant Commander Mike Flynn from the HMAS Hammersley and Petty Officer Chris Blake," Marshall introduced to the federal agents. He looked back at Mike and Swain. "And this is Federal Agents Marcus Andrews and Christine Gregory." Marshall to each said individual with a wave of his hand. They each shook hands.

"So you wanted to talk to us?" prompted Mike. Marcus and Christine nodded.

"Yes, is there somewhere we could talk?" asked Marcus, his hand resting on his chin.

"Oh yes, of course. Just this way," stepped in Marshall quickly, holding out his arm to show them the way. Moving towards the conference room, they each took a seat and Swain, who was last in, shut the door.

"Can I presume you have worked out this is most likely connected to the death a few months back of a Lucia Caetano among other suspicious boating incidents?" asked Marcus, cutting to the chase.

"We had suspicions, yes," replied Mike, sitting back in his seat.

"The persons from the boat you took custody aren't talking," added Christine. "But we've already got evidence pinning them to this whole thing."

"Do you know why they were doing what they were doing?" asked Swain. His years as a police officer had shown him a lot of different mixes of people. And even after a career in the Navy, he still often had trouble understanding why people did such things.

"Greed most likely," Marcus replied. "From what we understand, they looked into each victim's finances, working out the best targets. And planned most of it from sea, poisoning victims to get what they wanted."

"It would have taken a lot of skill," added Christine. "Everything would have had to have been planned out extensively. From reaching the targets out on the water, to being able to withdraw money from accounts and bring it to an untraceable account. It would have taken a very technical-headed mastermind."

"So where's this going to go from here?" asked Swain.

"We've got enough evidence to put them away," started Marcus. "It depends on if we can get witnesses to testify as well; that will make a big impact on the case. But hopefully they will be taken into custody and charged with a large string of crimes. Including murder."

_1634 hours, Barry General Hospital_

As if they were taking alternate shifts, Nikki awoke not long after Bomber had fallen asleep. Spider had gone outside with the remaining Hammersley members and ET had switched with Matt, going to say hello to Tamsin and Sally, like he had promised Nikki when they were back on the Hammersley.

With Matt sitting by his sister's side, he was quick to notice her eye lids fluttering lightly. This was the first she had woken since she had arrived at Barry General Hospital. Torn between going to alert someone to the fact that she was awake and staying with her as she awoke and realised where she was, Matt stood slowly. But he didn't make it far. The tug at his hand alerted him to the fact that his younger sister was now awake enough to recognise him and didn't seem to want him to leave.

"Hey you," he smiled. "You're back with us." She gave him a small smile, closing her eyes before reopening them slowly.

"It was them, wasn't it?" This question surprised Matt. At first he didn't really react to what it meant. But after a few moments thought, it really twigged to him what she was talking about, making him feel like a real idiot for not thinking so to begin with.

"I don't know Nik..."

"Matt?!" she interrupted, her voice a little louder than the quiet tone she had been using just seconds earlier.

"That's what they think, yes," he told her softly, hovering over her so she could actually see him. Nikki swallowed slowly, nodding slightly. She closed her eyes again and Matt managed to pry his hand away from her long enough to throw open the door and call out that she was awake. Buffer was standing with Charge, who both looked up.

"I'll get a nurse," said Buffer quickly, heading for the nurses' station.

"And I'll get ET," added Charge, moving in the opposite direction to Buffer, heading straight forward for room 127. Matt turned back around and went back over to Nikki's bedside. At hearing the approach, Nikki reopened her eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked her, still standing.

"Like I've just had a really big night," replied Nikki with a small smile. Matt let out a quiet laugh just as a nurse hurried into the room, followed closely by ET.

"Hey, you're awake!" was his first line of words as he approached the bed, next to Matt.

"Hi Nikki, my name's Denise and I'm a nurse. Do you know where you are?" said the nurse who had come into the room ahead of ET. She was short and thin, with dark hair pulled into a straight pony tail.

"Judging by how white everything is, I'd say hospital," was Nikki's reply. Denise smiled.

"Yes. You're going to be feeling pretty drowsy I'd think," Denise told her. Nikki nodded. "But you're doing really well. And so is your baby." Nikki nodded, not having enough energy at this moment to muster up anything else. Denise finished examining Nikki, before Matt went back to check on Tamsin, leaving ET and Nikki finally alone.

"You scared the hell out me," he told her. Nikki opened her eyes fully to look deeply at him.

"You big scaredy cat."

_One week later  
1105 hours_

A week after the dramatic turn of events, Tamsin, Sally, Bomber and even Nikki had been released from hospital. ET was the first to pull into a driveway, turning Nikki's car into the driveway while Swain pulled his car into his driveway, pulling his car up behind his parents' car, which was already stationed in the driveway.

Nikki had barely opened the passenger door when ET came around, holding out his hands to gently pull her out. She obliged, allowing him to pull her out. Just a few meters over, Bomber had dragged herself out of the backseat of Swain's car while Spider held the door open.

"Mummy!!!" came a squeal from the doorway of Swain and Sally's house as Sally slowly made her way around the front of the car, Swain's arm around her waist. Sally smiled at the sound of her little girl.

"Hello gorgeous!" she laughed wrapping her arms around her daughter, who was hugging her legs. "Oh, Mummy's missed you."

"Chloe miss you too Mummy," replied Chloe in a sweet voice. As Swain's parents emerged from inside the house, everyone met at the mutual point of the dividing picket fence.

"Hey Tam," Matt said to his girlfriend before whispering in her ear. She listened for a moment, before turning in his arms to face him, a look of complete and utter disbelief evident on her face.

"What!" she squealed. "You didn't!" Matt nodded with a smile and Tam turned further around before slapping her hand across her mouth. "You did!" her voice rising excitedly higher as she jumped up quickly to kiss Matt. The others laughed at her antics, not quite sure as to what was happening.

"He... he... brought us that house!" she exclaimed to everyone excitedly, barely even able to get the words out. The others registered what she was saying, before spotting the house just over the road with a newly fixed 'Under Offer' sign placed on the sign.

As the excitement died down, Swain, Sally, Chloe and Swain's parents went into their place while the others made for the neighbouring house. But not before Ruby made her way out.

"Ryan?" queried Nikki, spotting the figure opening her front door.

"Oh you better believe it little sis," he laughed, coming out fully. "Since we hear you decided to poison yourself, we thought we should come up." Nikki saw her dad step out behind his son from inside the house.

"Dad?! You guys didn't have to come!" she told them, but still rushing over to hug them both, before then bending down to pick up Ruby and squeeze the life out of her.

_1320 hours, ET and Nikki's bedroom_

Nikki was sitting on her bed, looking at the framed photograph of her, Lucia and Tamsin. She was running her finger gently over it when ET opened the door slowly, stepping into the room cautiously, as if asking permission to enter. Shutting the door quietly behind him, he made his way over and sat down on the bed.

"You okay?" It was a simple question. Nikki smiled at the photo, before looking up at him.

"Yeah, but I know what I want to do." ET smiled, slightly confused by what she meant.

"And what would that be?"

"I want to go and see Mum." Nikki laughed at the expression on his face. "Her grave! In Sydney!" laughed Nikki. ET joined in her laughing.

"Alright, when you're better..."

"I'm better," she promised. "I want to go as soon as. It's something I have to do." ET just nodded, bending forward to place a delicate kiss on her forehead, just as their baby kicked.

_3 days later  
1030 hours_

She was taking each step slowly, completely unsure of what she was going to be feeling. The feeling of sadness was settled in her stomach, although if she was honest with herself, it had been positioned there for months now. Making her way steadily down the lines, Nikki tracked her way through the cemetery until she found where she had been destined.

_Lucia Marie Caetano_

Nikki paused for a moment, unsure exactly what to say. This moment, ever since her mother had died, was something she had been waiting for. She had known this moment would come, even if it had killed her, something it nearly did. But she had done it.

"I did it Mum," she started. "I couldn't let them get away with what they'd done. How could they expect to live their lives free when they had taken away yours?" Nikki stopped, looking up at the sky as the tears began falling.

"It wasn't fair. And I don't think I'll ever change my mind on that. You should still be here with us now. There is so much you're not here for; my wedding, Matt and Tam's new venture. And your grandchild. But no matter what, I have to think positively. I know that you're here, watching us and keeping us safe." Nikki wiped the tears from her eyes.

"But now it's time to move on. You'll never be forgotten, but it's time to focus on new things. And I know that you'll be here every step of the way, somehow. Like footprints on our hearts. I'll always miss you. But I'm ready to move on. I wasn't before, but now I am. It's time for the next step."

****

_**There we go! I hope all your questions about the plots were answered in this chapter. Thank you so much. **_

_**Please review/comment on this chapter. I would really like to know what you have all decided about this fiction. **_


	40. Chapter 40

_**So it took me a while to update. What can I say? I've had writers block and a lot of busy days. And I am writing this when really I should be soaking up the last day I have on this beautiful island!**_

_**I want to thank everyone who has commented. It gives you so much confidence as a writer, hearing people's feedback. So thank you.**_

_********_

_0028 hours  
4 months later_

It was not long after midnight when they first heard the news. Present were Matt, Tamsin, Spider and Bomber, and also Ryan was there, having come to visit a week earlier. They had all dragged themselves out of bed to be there. The surprise itself was actually being there; no one had been expecting this.

But the early arrival of little Abbey had a meaning that no one was yet to realise.

"So it's a girl?" Tamsin asked ET excitedly, using all her self control not to start jumping up and down excitedly. With the biggest smile plastered on his face, ET nodded. That was enough for Tamsin to boil over, jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck as she squealed. "That's so exciting!" ET laughed at being nearly bowled over by Nikki's over excited friend.

"Well, I definitely didn't see that one coming," said Matt from behind Tamsin. She took a step back from ET and looked back at her boyfriend, before getting a cheeky smile on her face.

"And I believe you owe me fifty bucks, hey Ryan!" added Tamsin, holding out her hand expectantly. "I knew it was a girl!" The others laughed. While just about everyone else had been guessing the baby was going to be a boy, Tamsin had been adamant that the new arrival would be a girl.

"Oh, here goes the bragging," muttered Matt. Tamsin turned slightly to hit him on the arm.

"I think I deserve bragging rights! You're just sour because you were wrong!" Tamsin laughed and turned back to Ryan before a thought crossed her mind, causing her to turn around to ET again. "Hang on, do we have a name?"

"What about are they both okay?" asked Bomber, smiling at the still extremely over excited Tamsin. It was obvious her mind wasn't really focused on everything. ET laughed.

"Yeah, they're both okay. And her name's Abbey." Bomber and Tamsin both did the usual girl thing, replying with an "awwww", while the men merely just looked happy.

"Does she have a middle name?" asked Tamsin, again focusing on the "most important details".

"Not yet," replied ET with the shake of his head. "Still thinking."

"So do they know why she was early?" asked Bomber, again the one thinking seriously. ET just shrugged.

"Nope. They said she's really healthy, just early."

"Does anyone know what the time is?" asked Ryan, his contribution to the conversation at complete random. Despite the puzzled looks at his out-of-the-blue question, Spider answered with a glance at his watch.

"Uh, it's 12.30."

"It's Mum's birthday," replied Ryan, his previous comment becoming clearer. The looks of realisation crossed the surrounding faces. With all the excitement that had been going on at home, no one, with the obvious exception of Ryan, had been keeping up with the date obviously. As if baby Abbey had arrived early, just to mark Lucia's birthday.

Plenty of comments were passed around at this, until Tamsin spoke up again.

"So can we seem them?"

"I guess," replied ET. "Just be quiet though." He headed back off in the direction of his fiancé's room, the small trail of people filing behind him. He pushed open her door quietly, to reveal Nikki in the bed, holding a tiny pink bundle in her arms. She looked exhausted; but she also looked extremely happy. ET sat down on the edge of the bed next to Nikki on the right, whilst Bomber and Spider stood next to the bed on the right, and Matt, Tamsin and Ryan stood on the left.

"She's gorgeous!" cooed Tamsin, again letting her excitement boil over. She sure knew how to get in the mood! Nikki just simply smiled and agreed, before turning her attention back to her new daughter.

"Hey Nik," piped up Ryan after a few moments, after everyone had had their two cents worth about little Abbey. Nikki looked up expectantly at her brother, as Bomber stroked Abbey's head, which was laced with dark tuffs of soft, fine hair. "Do you know what day it is?" Nikki paused for a moment, as if trying to count the days in her head.

"It's Mum's birthday," smiled Nikki unbelievably, feeling the lump form in her throat, mostly from happiness but also with the slight hint of sadness. If only her mother had been here for this.

"And I've decided on her middle name," added ET, watching as Nikki didn't seem able to say anymore.

"You?!" was her response. "You chose Abbey!"

"You agreed to it! But I think her middle name is only appropriate." Nikki watched him closely for a minute before again letting the realisation dawn on her face.

"Are you sure?" ET just tilted his head, giving her an unbelieving look.

"Of course I'm sure. And could you seriously think of a better name?" he gave her his trade mark smile, which she returned with her own smile.

"Lucia. Abbey Lucia Holiday."

_**There we go for this one. I hope you all enjoyed it. It was tough on occasion, but also so much fun to write. So thank you again to you all. You've been awesome!**_

_**And I know this chapter is short; it's supposed to be. I didn't want to extend it any further. And there is one more chapter to go for this. And it will most likely be short too. This is just because they are "loose ends" chapters. Sorry if you were expecting a long update. **_


	41. Chapter 41

_**Okay, so I'm back! Thank you so much to the reviewers of the last chapter; you know who you are. I wrote this chapter on the flight back from Singapore last night, so I hope it's up to the standard you all deserve.**_

_**Okay, re-reading this I realised how much description, rather than dialogue there is. Whoa! But that's the way it's got to be; sorry if you were expecting more dialogue. And it's also incredibly long! But hey, I had to do something on the plane last night!**_

****

_0945 hours_

"Ow! Kate!" cried Bomber as Kate was attempting to clasp a bobby pin firmly in Bomber's hair. But while Kate was seeing it as "gently placing" it in the chef's hair, Bomber was under the impression Kate was attacking her with the hair accessory.

"I'm not a hair expert, okay?" replied Kate, taking a step back as Bomber stood up, standing beside in front of the full length mirror.

"Not bad," nodded Kate. "Definitely not bad."

"Except you attacking me with a bobby pin..."

"I wasn't..."

"Who cares, we all look pretty damned good," said Tamsin.

"Yeah, we do, huh?" says Bomber, as she taken in her own reflection again.

"Okay, where is she?" adds Tamsin, causing Kate and Bomber, as well as Sally, to look up at her expectantly. Sally glanced back down to her arms, where she was carefully holding one month old Abbey. The baby was peacefully asleep, almost unaware of the commotion going on around her.

Little Chloe Blake interrupted the group again, as she came toddling out in her small white dress, just a step in front of the main woman in question. Nikki was guiding Chloe out of the bathroom with one hand on the little girls shoulder. She pulled the door closed behind her out of habit.

"Okay, now _she _looks pretty damned good!" Nikki laughed at this.

"Thanks Tam. But you guys all look gorgeous yourselves." Nikki looked down. "But I think this little fairy upstages all of us." Chloe looked up at Nikki, knowing she was being spoken about.

"Okay, so do the full turn; let's see your dress again," prompted Sally. Nikki rolled her eyes playfully before slowly swinging around in a full circle, her arms held out dramatically, as if trying to imitate a model.

Wearing a traditional white wedding dress with spaghetti straps, the dress was simple; completely white with a band of obvious diamantes. Her chocolate-coloured hair was almost all straight, save for the odd curl or wave.

The bridesmaids, with Kate as maid of honour, were wearing light pink strapless dresses, with a black ribbon around the waists, also encrusted with diamantes.

Chloe, the flower girl, and Abbey were both wearing white dresses, with a light pink band of the same diamantes as the other dresses. And for effect, they were both having small, light pink and glittery fair wings pinned onto the back.

All in all, they all looked gorgeous.

Nikki walked towards Sally. Sally looked up at the beautiful bride, before looking down again at the still peacefully sleeping Abbey. Knowingly, Sally moved her arms to place the baby in Nikki's arms. As she had done many times in the past month, Nikki looked down at her beautiful daughter, still in awe of how tiny and gorgeous she was. Dubbed "Little Angel" by her proud father, Abbey hadn't yet been tested to see if she had the same heart condition her mother, uncle and grandmother had. They would in time, but for now, the family was just enjoying the precious time together.

"You know, I've never been a maternal person. But she really is adorable," said Kate from over Nikki's shoulder, peering down at Abbey who seemed unfazed by the attention she was receiving and carried on sleeping.

"Me too. But she's enough to make anyone's heart melt," added Bomber from the other side. Tam and Sally were also there, looking upon the little girl.

"Hmm... Yep, she's definitely going to be a little heartbreaker," said Sally with the nod of her head. Nikki looked up and smiled, laughing gently.

"Don't tell her dad that; he's already adamant he's not letting her out of the house until she's at least thirty," laughed Nikki. Taking another look at Abbey, she took a deep breath before looking up at her best friends and bridesmaids. "I'm ready."

_HMAS Hammersley  
1010 hours_

ET was anxiously awaiting the arrival of the two most important people to the Naval base. With the careers and dedication to the jobs, it was only appropriate that the wedding service was held here.

"Calm down ET," said Swain, coming towards the electronics technician. The best man, he was accompanied by Spider, Buffer, Matt and Ryan in the line up.

"I'm calm," replied ET, though it was very evident he was anything but calm. "She's late. Nikki's never late."

"It's like, tradition, for the bride to be late," said Spider.

"And they've got, you know, hair bisso and stuff to do," said Buffer, motioning with his hands around the almost non-existent hair on his head to emphasize his point.

"She'll be here. She's smitten, mate; I doubt she'd get cold feet," added Ryan. ET looked around at his groomsmen, knowing they were all trying to make him more relaxed. He knew they were right. _Why is it so customary to get nervous on your wedding day? _thought ET to himself. _Happiest day of your life. How does that work?_

But he didn't have long to contemplate this for a white limousine arrived. Seconds later, a second pulled up behind it. Out of the first one, Sally and Bomber stepped out, with Chloe. The men at the other end of the aisle, which was rowed with people on either side, had subconsciously formed the line at the end to watch the arrivals. Sally and Bomber each took one of Chloe's hands and lead her towards the other limousine, where the driver had come to open the door.

Kate was the first one out of the car, holding a still sleeping Abbey in her arms. She took a small step backwards, as the bride took a step out of the car, looking towards the aisle, her eyes focusing on the one particular man at the end of the aisle.

"Come on Nikki! You can see him all up close and personal in a moment!" called out Tamsin, who was waiting to get out behind Nikki. Nikki, who was still in the car enough to reach, stuck her hand out to swat her friend absently, before stepping out of the limousine fully. Looking down at Abbey quickly, Nikki glanced at Kate, before turning to her other bridesmaids on her other side.

"Let's do this."

At the other end of the aisle, ET felt like he had been waiting years. He watched his almost-bride bend over slightly and kiss their newborn daughter on the head, where the soft, downy hair was. And finally, after what seemed like forever, he saw the girls begin to move forward. Kate first, holding Abbey instead of the pink frangipani's the bridesmaids were carrying. ET smiled at Kate and his little girl as they took their place on one side.

Sally and Bomber walked down the aisle next, Chloe in between them. Each held Chloe's little hands in one hand, as she toddled unsteadily down the aisle, as well as a bunch of the pink frangipani's.

Tamsin was the final bridesmaids down the aisle, simply holding a replica bunch of flowers to Sally and Bomber's own.

The final two to walk down the aisle caused ET's breath to hitch; Nikki, who had decided against wearing a veil, had her right arm linked in her father's, walking steadily down the aisle, a bunch of traditional white and yellow frangipani's in her hands. She smiled happily at the man awaiting her at the end of the aisle. Ever since she was a little girl she had dreamed of this moment. And about the only thing she didn't have to make her day 100% as she imagined, was having her Mum by her side.

Reaching the end of the aisle, Nikki turned to look up at her father, who gently pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Your mother would be so very proud of you," he whispered. Nikki felt the tears spring to her eyes, but she wasn't truly crying. She had accepted her mother's death; she knew it shouldn't have happened but Nikki had reached a point where she knew she could think of her Mum and smile. Part of it was because she knew that's exactly what her Mum would have wanted her to do. Giving her father one final glance, Nikki took a step towards ET, standing directly in front of him.

"You look gorgeous," ET said simply, hardly containing what he felt inside; the wide grin on his face said it all.

"I think it's customary to say that to your bride," she replied quietly with a smile. ET just laughed.

"Only if it's true." They again smiled at each other, Nikki taking his outstretched hands as they turned so they were side on to the audience awaiting them. Mike, Charge, Chefo (who had managed to keep a spot on board the Hammersley, even after Bomber returned) RO, Commander Marshall and Darryl Smith were all seated in the front row to the left. The front row on the other side seated Nikki's father, and brother's Dan and Cameron, as well as ET's parents and his sister's, Claire and Amelia.

"We're gathered here today, to witness the marriage of Joshua Holiday, to Nicole Caetano. If anyone has any reason as to why Josh and Nikki should not be lawfully joined in marriage, may they speak now or forever be silent."

"Okay, Nikki, if you'd like to say your vows now." Nikki swallowed before looking up to smile at ET, her hands never leaving his.

"Josh, I'm standing here today, and still not quite believing I am getting to marry such a wonderful man. We faced so many hurdles; there were times when I thought it would never happen and I think you'd probably agree. You've made such a footprint on my heart; a footprint that is a permanent scar. You've been there for me, through thick and through thin, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life as a family; you, me and our beautiful daughter Abbey. Right by my side."

"Josh, if you'd like to say your vows now."

"Nikki, I have been waiting for this day for years. I never thought I'd get to stand here, beside the woman I truly love and get to be so happy. But you've made all that come true for me. I feel so blessed to have you by my side. I never thought I could get so lucky. You've given me the most beautiful daughter and you're giving me the chance to have the most beautiful wife. We've been through one hell of a year, and I am so thankful that we've gotten through it, and become stronger than ever. But there is one special person up there, who is smiling down on you today. The person whose final words were that she was proud of you, and that she just wanted you to be happy. And that me marrying you would make you happy. Well Lucia, I'm looking after your little girl, and your little granddaughter for you; I hope you're happy."

She was trying to hold back the tears but it was to no avail; Nikki couldn't help the tears that were flowing so freely down her cheeks. ET had never told her what her mother's final words were until now. But she wasn't crying with sadness. Her mother had still been a part of the ceremony anyway, but this just topped it.

ET watched the tears flow down her cheek. He had his own tears in his eyes. He just gave her a smile and laughed gently. Nikki composed herself to say something back.

"Thank you," she told him genuinely, not knowing what else to say. He smiled and nodded, knowing that no words were needed. He looked at Nikki deeply, as if asking her silently if she wanted to continue. She seemed to know what he was asking and nodded. ET turned to the celebrant and nodded.

"Josh and Nikki will now exchange the rings." Swain stepped forward, producing both rings from his pocked. Josh's was a simple silver band, while Nikki's was a silver band of diamonds, to match her engagement ring.

"Josh, I give you this ring as a symbol of my undying love for you." Nikki gently slipped the ring onto his ring finger, before looking back up into his eyes.

ET reached out towards Swain's outstretched hand and gently picked up Nikki's ring.

"Nikki, I give you this ring as a symbol of my undying love for you." He slid the band onto her finger.

As both gazed lovingly into each other's eyes, the celebrant declared them husband and wife.

"Josh, Nikki, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Josh, you may kiss your bride." ET didn't need any more prompting as he took a step forward, placing a gentle kiss on his new bride's lips. The audience clapped and stood. As the happy couple drew apart, they savoured a few more seconds, just gazing lovingly into each other's eyes, foreheads resting together before turning, hand in hand to face their family and friends.

Kate stepped forward to place Abbey into Nikki's arms. Abbey was awake, her eyes open and looking around expectantly. She definitely was a laidback and calm baby. ET, who was standing slightly behind Nikki, looked down at his daughter, whose blue eyes mirrored his. Nikki had one finger playing with the fingers on Abbey's hands before she looked up at her husband, raising herself slightly and kissing him again. Then they headed down the aisle, to the applause of their guests, their bridesmaids and groomsmen following back down the aisle in pairs.

_1200 hours, Reception_

The wedding reception was held at a functions centre not far from the Naval base, overlooking the beach.

Mike had been assigned to announce the arrival of the bridal party. With all the guests seated at their respective tables, he stood with the microphone to announce the arrivals.

"Okay, first to arrive is the maid of honour, and best man, Kate McGregor and Chris Blake, along with the happy couple's little girl Abbey." Bomber and Spider were the next to arrive, followed by Tamsin and Matt, and Sally and Ryan. The next pairing had the guests in stitches.

"And next we have our very beautiful fairy, Chloe Blake, who is accompanied by Pete Tomaszewski." As Buffer "escorted" Chloe to her seat, the laughter began to die down, giving Mike the chance to announce the final couple.

"And our final couple, I present to you, Josh and Nikki Holiday." Arm in arm, the newlyweds took to the centre seats at the middle table, alongside the bridal party to much applause.

The celebration was still in full swing hours later. Nikki was talking with Kate and Sally when her father came up.

"Congratulations Nikki," he smiled at her. Nikki turned to the familiar voice, immediately standing to give her father a hug.

"Thanks Dad."

"You know you're mother would be very proud of you," he again whispered to her. She had heard this countless times today, and she knew it was true, reinforced by ET's surprise vows. "And she's watching." Nikki looked up at her dad and smiled. They were joined by ET, who came back holding Abbey.

"Hi Sir," he said to Harry, kissing Nikki on the cheek. Harry laughed.

"I've told you enough times now Josh that it's Harry." ET and Nikki both laughed. "So how's my favourite granddaughter?"

"Dad, she's your only granddaughter!" laughed Nikki.

"So? She's still my beautiful favourite." ET moved his arms to place Abbey in his father-in-laws arms, before wrapping his arms around Nikki's waist. Both watched as Harry gazed at Abbey, whose wide-awake eyes were staring into her proud grandfather's. "She reminds me of you as a baby."

"Really?" asked Nikki in surprise as she looked over at Abbey.

"Yep. You were the baby that never cried. You would just sit there and gaze at everyone."

"Guess you had to have some reprieve, having four painful boys before me."

"We weren't that bad!" adds Ryan as he joins the group.

"And you'd remember?" retorted Nikki.

"Hey come dance with me!" said ET, grabbing Nikki's arm to pull her away. Nikki paused and looked at Abbey.

"Go! I'm perfectly capable of looking after my granddaughter," smiled Harry.

As ET and Nikki took to the dance floor, ET was thinking about how incredibly lucky he was. A gorgeous wife, a beautiful baby daughter, great family and friends. The he thought to Lucia. _Well Lucia. I hope I fulfilled your wishes, _ET said silently.

Nikki had her arms wrapped around her husband's neck as they danced, thinking about her life. In the past year, everything had changed; she was a completely different person. But she was happy. Above and beyond all the difficulties, she was happy. And she knew her mum couldn't be prouder.

****

_**Kind of sad now... That was the final chapter! Unless of course I get some urge to suddenly add another chapter. But theoretically, that was the final. **_

_**If I was to sit and write individually all the wonderful people who have reviewed this story, I'd never finish. But thank you to each and every one of you. Your support was, and still is, amazing. And thanks to my boyfriend who inspired this entire story!**_

_**Now, if you wouldn't mind, I would love it if you could all review, just one final time. Thanks heaps. And until my new story... Ciao! **_


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